Gundread 2x
by Norsehound
Summary: This is the delayed re-write of Gundread. Well, go read!
1. ch1: Floating

GUNDREAD   
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam Wing belong to me.  
  
  
Well here it is! After being delayed for nearly forever (Mental vacation...) It is now re-completed (Well, mostly) And finished. So without further adeu, Gundread; the second version.  
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Ch1  
Floating  
  
Fast breathing.  
"Huh-where...."  
He was panting. Somehow, he wasn't quite so sure of his whereabouts anymore.  
The suit shifted all around him as straight blue lines whipped past the cockpit.  
The boy shook visibly.  
His body felt like it was being stretched and blown through air.  
He could feel those lines streak past his body and skin.  
He wanted to open his mouth and scream.  
But he kept calm and tried to keep his nerve to himself.  
His eyes blinked rapidly  
His pulse skyrocketed  
His heart was blowing up  
Heero Yuy was going to die.  
An ear-piercing scream  
A blood-curtailing shout  
The Wing Zero flew for infinity  
Heero was going to die.  
"I will...."  
"I WILL...."  
"I WILL SURVIVE!!!!"  
  
-----------------------------------   
  
Just as things couldn't get bad enough Hibiki turned his glare right.  
A blue-white fireball the size of his Van unit was headed straight for him.  
"Aieee!!"  
The Van flew over the comet as it slowed down and dissipated into a pair of folded wings.  
"What the-"  
The wings spread apart as the unit slowed and started to tumble.  
A blue body, dark eyes, and white form...with two huge long wings.  
Definitely worth checking out.  
The last of the enemy scout squadron died in a series of quick blasts from the Dreads.  
"Hey!" Hibiki called out, "Anyone out there!? I need some help!"  
  
"Hmm...interesting." Said Magano as she examined the enlarged alien ship as it was being towed into the aft-hanger deck.  
BC turned, "What do you think?"  
"I'm not sure, but it's definitely not one of ours...or any of the men's for that matter."  
BC was willing to argue, "It is man-shaped..."  
"But the men haven't developed anything as mobile as that suit looks. No, and I don't think our enemies could have developed something like this...unless it's a trap- which I doubt..."  
  
In the hanger levels Jura was amazed at the new member of the ship's manifest, "It looks so beautiful!"  
"Even though it's been charred and pitted." Observed Barnette, "I don't know about this one."  
Then Parfet and two technicians approached, "Well," Said Parfet, "The only way we can find out what's in it is if we open it. Let's-"  
She stopped and everyone watched in amazement as the cockpit doors opened and de-pressurized.  
Out stumbled a figure and he rolled off the suit and to the ground collapsing as he hit it and falling flat.  
The women looked to one another before rushing for the downed figure.  
  
-The pilot struggled to get up in his blurred vision.  
He saw several forms shifting as they grew closer and closer.  
Then his will left him-  
  
The pilot collapsed to the ground just as the women reached him.  
"It's...it's a man!"  
"A man piloted this thing?"  
"We got to get him to the hospital! Someone call a doctor!"  
  
The silent pulsing of the medical reader was heard in the room as Dureo scanned the unconscious boy.  
His eyes were closed and his pulse seemed normal.  
An X-ray scan showed he had seen much more than just falling off a one-story mecha on the ground. He had evidence of broken bones, what appeared to be several concussions, and a lot of repaired misjointments.  
Had Dureo seen a medical report on this boy he would have proclaimed him dead.  
"Will he be all right?" Asked BC as she entered though the double doors of the medical ward.  
"Possibly. The boy has remarkable healing." Said Dureo as he looked up from the sleeping child to BC's face.  
The eyes of the patient cracked open and turned in their slits.  
"Good. Magano will want to talk to him later." Said BC.  
The patient closed his eyes once more.  
"I recommend some rest first." Said the Doctor, "Any sort of strain on his body now will only damage him further."  
"If you insist doctor, but be careful. He may not be just a simple man from what I've seen..." Replied BC.  
She left, and Dureo turned back to the instruments which showed no change since five minutes ago.  
  
The pilot felt a tap on his arm.  
"Hey Heero!"  
In a hazy environment the boy with the Prussian blue eyes looked up at his friend.  
"C'mon buddy, you don't want to be late."  
"...For, what?"  
"You gotta be kidding me! For what he says, Relina's Birthday!"  
"Oh..."  
The Prussian-eyed pilot stood and walked after his friend.  
A flash  
He was in the cockpit rolling and aiming a large weapon down his arm...aiming it at moving blurs.  
A red signet, a collection of lines.  
A harsh noise resolved itself into a beeping as details resolved themselves into clarity.  
Flashes. Fighting. War. Death.  
Then as he pressed the trigger to annihilate a falling star, he started to fall in a different direction.  
Blue whirlwinds around him.  
  
And then he shot up.  
Everything was blurry. He looked at his own hand, a fuzzy outline of what it should be. He started to blink and gained more sense of his surroundings. Apparently he was in some sore of medical room.   
Things were sharper now as he started to blink.  
A large screen, some medical equipment, machinery...  
He was still in his cloths.  
He heard a noise and left the table to duck underneath it.  
Dureo stepped out and found his patient gone.  
Confused, he looked around and headed for the door as the pilot rolled under the bed and to the other side.   
Dureo turned around and walked for the far side of the diagnostic table.  
The pilot stood and took hopping footsteps out of the room, just before Dureo looked up at the sound of the doors closing.  
"Hmm...."  
  
The pilot had to return to his mecha.  
His mission depended on what he would do in the next few minutes.  
If this was an OZ ship-  
He heard a noise and ducked into another corridor.  
Wait...  
Had this been an Oz ship, why was there artificial gravity?  
Could he be on Earth?  
That had to be a possibility.  
He started walking down a hallway and made it into an observation corridor.  
He stopped and looked out the giant window to his right.  
The stars stared back at him.  
He wasn't on the ground.  
And from a minute or so of examining the stars, he wasn't anywhere near Earth.  
So where was he?  
"Hn..." Spoke the pilot as he looked up and down the corridors and decided it was best to go find his Mobile suit.  
  
Hibiki was trying to ignore the gargantuan mecha lying in the middle of the hanger deck, but the sheer size of it couldn't let him focus on his work.  
And as the door opened he panicked and climbed into the roof of his cockpit.  
No, it wasn't Dita...  
He climbed down and saw a figure climbing up on the unusual construction.  
"HEY YOU!!" Cried Hibiki.  
The figure looked up as the cockpit doors were opening and then away as it crawled into the cockpit.  
"HEY!!" Hibiki cried as he climbed off the scaffolding of his Mecha and rushed for the unusual machine, "Just who do you think-!"  
Then the mecha moved and shuddered. Hibiki lost his footing as the mecha jarred the bay with it's sudden engine movement.  
The jets died down and the whole machine moved in an effort to stand.  
The suit collapsed down to a lying-down position and the cockpit opened to reveal the pilot.  
"Now we- HEY!" Hibiki screamed as a bullet ricocheted off the floor.  
The pilot leapt from his suit and landed on the ground and dashed for HIS Vanguard.  
"HEY!!" Screamed Hibiki.  
Just then Dita entered.  
"Mr. Alien...huh?"   
The pilot rushed right past her.  
"Another alien!" She yipped and rushed after the pilot.  
  
He was just getting into the cockpit when some strange girl came in after him, "Hi!"  
"Do you mind?" Growled Heero Yuy.  
"You're an alien aren't you?"  
"Miss, I'm-"  
"I'm Dita!" Cried Dita and gave Heero a hug, "Another alien! Yipee!!"  
Heero was looking at this woman as if she came from Mars...not far off from definition.  
"Hey! You two get out of there!!" Screamed Hibiki.  
Just then the door opened and BC emerged with several armed guards.  
"Hibiki!" Called BC, "Where's that alien?"  
"He's in MY Cockpit!"  
"Hahahahaahah!"  
The guards rushed up the scaffold.  
"Hey! HEY! THAT'S MY VAN TYPE!!...Wha!!!" Fumed Hibiki on the walkway but slowly lost his footing  
Hibiki fell and was caught by BC.  
"Gee...thanks..."  
"Don't mention it." Replied BC as she dropped Hibiki with an unkind thud.  
The guards pulled out the pilot from the cockpit AND the clutches of Dita.  
"Hn. So you're the pilot." Said BC as she crossed her arms, "Clever to get out of sickbay and this far. So tell me, what's your name?"  
The pilot smiled and answered in a sentance, "My name is Heero Yuy."  
Then he stamped down on the feet of one of the women and yanked himself free of the other.  
Then he leapt onto the bar and shoved himself off it with his foot and somersaulted through the air.  
"STOP HIM!" Ordered BC.  
The guards opened fire with rubber bullets but they all either missed or didn't hit the boy as he ran towards his Mobile suit.  
BC took off after him and so did the guards.  
In three jumps Heero was in his cockpit and closing the cockpit door.  
He tapped several keys in the dark-not needing guidance by light as the system powered itself ON.  
The eyes flashed green as the Mobile suit became operational.  
Heero then tried the engines.  
BC and the guards shielded themselves as the rockets on the back of the MS flared and ignited, slowly pushing the Mobile suit to the other end of the bay.  
Heero showed no emotion during this operation.  
Then the MS rammed the doors.  
Heero was bounced around in his cockpit and the Gundam came down to a rest.  
But not for long, as the Mobile suit's torso craned up to give it some clearance. It came to a sitting position in the hanger and looked at the figures at the far side of the bay.  
Heero started to reach up for a beam saber stored in the shoulder of his Gundam when he got a lock-on alert from the Zero system.  
He looked down the bay to see a smaller Mecha powering up and preparing to fire at him with an arm-gattling cannon. "Okay buddy, freeze!" Cried an unsure but desperate voice in the speakers.  
Two boxes on the shoulders flipped up and out and exposed twin gattling guns.  
The women hit the deck as Gattling fire flew to the other end of the bay and sprinkled against the aft bulkhead.  
Hibiki braced himself as a shield popped up and defended the Mecha from bullets.  
"Hn..." Heero the pilot murmured as he turned and whisked out a Beam saber. He turned and slashed across the doors.  
BC realized instantly they had no time, "EVERYBODY OUT!"  
They all rushed at the doors even as the doors blasted away and decompression took over.  
0.68 seconds after the doors blew open the emergency ones slammed into place and re-pressurized the room, leaving the intruder missing in the hanger.  
"Damnit!" Cried Hibiki and called, "Get the doc down here!"  
Dita peered from the open doorway, "Is it safe now?"  
  
Freedom.  
Heero didn't need to say it, as his Winged Gundam was now free in space.  
But something was definitely wrong.  
There weren't any planets nearby.  
No familiar stars.  
No satellites.  
And he wasn't sure of any direction.  
Heero was nervous for what may have been the first time in his life.  
His breathing increased, but the will to defend himself overcame this fear as fighters were approaching him.  
He looked around and found his beam rifle floating in space not too far away.  
With a quick thrust he retrieved it.  
Only to find the weapon stunned.  
"Damnit."  
He stored it on a mount on the back of his Gundam and flipped open the Gattling cannons.  
  
Meia saw this and banked, with Jura and the other Dreads to dodge enemy fire.  
The Dreads swarmed around the Gundam and looked for an open weakness.  
Heero offered none as he pulled out a laser sward. The long ruby beam then closed in on Jura.  
"AYEIEIAHAAAA!!" She wailed and banked her fighter away as Heero thrust.  
He turned and changed direction on a dime and charged in on Jura.  
Meia took the opportunity to strike but the enemy seemed to predict her movements as it turned and opened fire on her.  
She banked away and pondered aloud, "Who is this guy?"  
Then Hibiki's Van and Dita's Dread joined the fight.  
The Nirvana slowed and started to turn to watch and recover injuries.  
  
Heero thrust again and turned to fire his head machine guns as he tried to stop at least one of the fighters.  
A graceful white one slipped into his view and opened fire with several energy-based weapon blasts.  
Heero dodged this and swung his saber around to nick the wing of this one.  
Meia was not happy as she came around and fired again.  
Heero rolled and thrust his wings, the gattling barrels spinning in her general direction.  
Jura took up the fight and fired at him.  
Heero raised a wing and it took the shots as pure Gundanium melted under the extreme heat.  
He flicked it out again and bashed aside the nose to Jura's fighter.  
Only to come face to face with Vandread Dita.  
Weapons clashed as the main weapon to the Vandread and Heero's beam saber clashed.  
Hibiki swung with the other arm but the enemy pilot was gone by then and flying up and away.  
Meia's sights closed on it and she came within firing range...  
In the cockpit to Wing Zero the computer system flashed warnings and he banked away.  
Meia stood with him as they closed in with the Nirvana.  
Heero came over the back and ducked around the front.  
He flew right past the command room and Magano was shocked at his precise flight.  
Heero turned and pulled out the beam saber, momentum carrying him backwards as he prepared his defenses and fired.  
Meia shuddered and banked away from the incoming bullets as Heero continued to provide them.  
But just then Hibiki closed the distance and grappled the smaller Gundam.  
"Yeah!" Cried Dita.  
Heero was hearing the warning sirens around in the cockpit and looked at the self-detonation switch.  
"Mission....incomplete." He sighed as he pounded his fist on the control.  
Nothing.  
The power faded as something short-circuited the reactor and the reactor shut itself down.  
"Looks like I'll be their prisoner again...." Heero muttered.  
  
It was a big fight to get Heero sustained.  
As soon as the cockpit door opened he jumped out of the cockpit, took some steps on the hull and rolled all the way out and down the side of the mecha to the ground.  
Then he continued running for the door.  
But it opened to admit Doctor Dureo.  
The good Doctor was bigger than Heero and stopped the young man in the doorway and jabbed a needle into him.  
Heero broke away and kept going.  
"Hmm..." Said Dureo as he examined the rhinoceros tranquilizer.  
But Heero was stopped cold by Dita as she arrived around the corner.  
"Mr. Strange Alien!" She yipped and grasped onto Heero like cement.  
Heero found it increasingly difficult to move and even moreso when the Doctor came around and hit him again with another tranquilizer.  
  
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And so begins the re-write. After a delay of several months, HERE IT IS!!!  
  
Not much changed in the first chapter, but ah well. Keep reading and tell me what you think at the end! 


	2. ch2: Name

Ch2  
Name  
  
By Norsehound  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam wing nor Vandread. I just borrowed them.  
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Heero then found himself in a straightjacket, chained, with a pair of guards in an empty, and small, room.   
He could probably escape, but the guards would probably notice and would be very happy to knock him out again.  
Heero turned the only appendage he could, his head, to the door which was opening.  
An old woman with several others entered the room.  
So why were there so many women and only two...well three men aboard?  
"So you're the troublemaker." Said the old woman, "Heero isn't it?"  
Heero remained silent.  
"I could bring in that red-head again."  
"Yes." Answered Heero, "My name is Heero Yuy."  
"Well that's good." Said the woman as she sat down, "I am Magano, chief of these pirates. You have caused a lot of trouble young man, fortunately none of our young ladies were killed in that stunt you pulled off in the hanger. Just what were you trying to do anyway?"  
"Get home." Shrugged Heero in the straight jacket, "And I won't let anything stop me."  
"Well you seem to be very far from any sort of home young man, there isn't a habitable planet around here for light years or so the sensors tell me. Where are you-"  
"I am from the colony section L1." Replied Heero, "In...Earth Orbit."  
"Earth." Repeated Magano, "I haven't heard of Earth in a long time...and you say you come from there?"  
"Yes." Answered Heero and looked at her, "Exactly what year is this?"  
"The year? Well young man, the year of our calendar is 3946..."  
Heero counted numbers in his head.  
His pupils dilated.  
"Ah, I see you aren't from around here...not of this universe either."  
"Who are you people?" Asked Heero, "Why are there only two other men on-board?"  
"Relax young man." Said the woman, "There are three other men aboard. One of them is our doctor, and the other is our navigator. The last one is that pilot you almost killed."  
Heero asked, "But why are there only three men onboard?"  
"You're on the Nirvana, Heero Yuy." Replied Magano, "There has been a war between men and women for three generations. You have stepped into the only co-operation between the species for a very long time."  
Heero slumped in his chair, "Hn."  
"There are two things I can do." Said Magano, "One, I can lock you up in the brig until we return to our respective homes...or,"   
Heero looked up at a smiling Magano, "You can fight with us."  
"Fight...with you?"  
She nodded, "We need all the help we can get these days. Why not join us?"  
That didn't sound like a bad idea....  
  
For the first few days he was locked up as a precaution.  
He was chained to an engineering coupling in...engineering...and made to work for six days.  
He didn't complain a single time...all the while familiarizing himself with whatever system he worked on.  
Then he entered normal life.  
  
Heero was in a jumpsuit provided to him through one of the empty crew quarters he was now residing in.  
He entered the mess hall.  
The entire group of women looked up at his entrance.  
Heero took a step forward and leaned sideways as he stared back.  
Two men, wondering what was going on, also looked up at him.  
He walked for the conveyer belt maze of food lines and looked over them.  
An eyebrow arched on his face as he saw little calorie tags with the assorted food.  
Figures. An all-female society would be interested in calorie intake...  
But there were some precautions Heero also had to abide by, and selected a food item and walked to a table.  
"Is this seat taken?" He asked as an available chair stood open.  
Sitting at that table were Hibiki, Dita, and the Doctor.  
"Uh, no..." Said Hibiki, a little surprised to see what he thought was his enemy take a seat next to him.   
Heero ignored the attention given to him and started to eat his breakfast.  
Then he looked up at Dita, who was watching him.  
"What are you looking at?"  
"Huh. You're not much different from Mr. Alien." Replied Dita.  
Heero looked at Hibiki for an explanation.  
"What!??!?!" Hibiki exploded.  
"Why does she call you that?"  
"I don't know...ask her!" Replied Hibiki as he turned away and continued to chomp down on his rice.  
"She just does." Replied Dureo.  
Dita looked at Heero, "Yup, Mr. Other Alien."  
Heero turned his head in one smooth motion to look at her, "Don't call me that."  
"Why not?" Recoiled Dita.  
"My name is Heero Yuy." Replied Heero, still taking the name given to him during Operation Meteor in his home galaxy.  
"You don't like the name Mr. Other alien?"  
"I am a Gundam pilot, not an alien."  
"Suit yourself Mr. Gundam." Replied Dita, finding a new name for Heero.  
Heero didn't say anything but just looked back down at his dinner.  
They ate for a moment before Dureo asked, "Something on your mind?"  
"What?"  
"You look like someone with something on his mind." Said the Doctor.  
"...I was just thinking..." Said Heero, "About the possibility of never getting back home again."  
Dita's attention was taken by this, and even Hibiki listened his pace of eating to listen in.  
"Go on."  
"Back home I have what you may call friends...I have a familiarity there. It's strange, I was trained as a soldier and assassin...and to have these feelings is a distraction...but lately...  
  
*He remembered that day, four months ago at a party.  
He looked up from his wineglass to see Duo talking with Relena.  
So what?   
But then they started off.  
Heero walked after them and caught up, "Duo."  
"Hey Heero, Relena and I were heading up to my room and uh...we kinda wanted to be alone so..."  
"Relena..."  
Relena simply looked at the ground while Duo smiled, "What's the matter Heero? You Jealous? C'mon, it's not like you-"  
Heero hit him.  
The fist impacted on Duo's jaw, almost breaking it.  
Duo collapsed backwards.  
"Heero!"  
"Hey, don't worry about it Relena." Said Duo as he came back to a stand, "It's all good...I guess you and I should keep away from each other."  
Duo came up to a stand and walked away.  
Relena looked at Heero and asked, "Why Heero? What's gotten into you?"  
Heero was looking at his fist, and didn't notice as Relena ran away.  
Was I...angry at him?*  
  
...But lately I've been finding I have been showing symptoms of having them."  
The doctor spoke, "You talk as if an emotion was a disease."  
"In a way it can be."  
Dureo nodded, "Perhaps. But it's more like a benefit, not a hindrance. Emotion can bring color to a life that's black and white."  
"My life has no meaning." Said Heero as he opened his palm and examined it, "My life has been a mission: Freedom for the colonists I fight to protect. Any deviation from that mission is unacceptable. I fight...for the colonies."  
"There aren't any colonies." Said Dureo, "So now what will you do?"  
"I...will..." Said Heero.  
  
*What do you live for?"  
Heero looked back at Trowa under the rains in the colony.  
"What?"  
"Why are you still alive?" Asked Trowa, "If you call yourself the perfect soldier, then why are you still living?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Heero, There aren't any places for warriors anymore." Said Trowa as he took some steps closer to Heero to shield him with his umbrella, "We sealed that fate after destroying our Gundams. So what are you going to do now?"  
"I..."   
Heero looked at the passing cars that were driving to some unknown destination.  
"I will continue to fight for the colonies. As long as they exist, I will fight for them with my life."  
"Heero, there is no-one left to fight."  
Heero stopped in mid-step away from Trowa and turned back, "Then I will continue living until there is someone to fight."  
Trowa didn't bother to stop him as he continued walking into the scrap yard to find his Gundam.*  
  
"...I will fight to protect this place...until I can get home." Said Heero.  
"But what if you can't get home?"  
This came from Dita.  
Heero turned to her and then to the table.  
"I will... My...programming instructs me to self-destruct. If there is no mission then I shouldn't live...but...perhaps I am...mistaken...about..."  
There was silence.  
Heero was as confused as ever.  
"Excuse me..." He said as he stood and walked from the room.  
  
In the cockpit of Wing Zero, the name given to his Gundam, Heero was staring at a picture from the photographic archives.  
Relena.  
The closest thing he had come to loving someone else.  
Here, in the iron cage to the soul, he sat and looked at one of the only connections to a world he may never see again.  
The small robot known as Pyoro spoke, "Are you lonely?"  
Heero slid aside the panel, "I'm busy."  
"Oh." Replied the Robot and it asked, "Do you miss home?"  
"Why do you ask?"  
Pyoro had no answer.  
"Hn."  
Heero slid the monitor back into place and a storm of typing was heard.  
After a moment Heero heard the robot flutter off and he relaxed in his seat.  
"Am I lonely..."  
He clicked back up the picture of Relena and examined it, "Yes...I am lonely..."  
He reached out with a hand to stoke Relena's digitized face. He touched it with a pair of fingertips and stroked her cheek.  
But a power fluctuation to the monitor reminded him that it wasn't real.  
With a heavy heart he shoved aside the monitor and sighed as he reclined in the chair with his eyes closed.  
When he opened them again he found a woman to be staring at him.  
His memory told him this was Meia, leading pilot of those fighter craft.  
"What do you want?"  
"Orders." She said and passed him a sheet of paper, "These are directions to our simulator room. You will be practicing with us in one of our machines, seeing we don't have-"  
Meia was stopped as Heero had turned around and was fishing around in the back of the cockpit and pulled out something.  
Carrying a black box with wires dangling from it, he stepped out past Meia and started walking towards the door, examining the paper.  
Meia blinked as she watched the cold boy go.  
-----------   
This chapter was pretty much unedited from it's original content, as was Ch1 (With some minor edits).  
  
The drastic changes begin next chapter. 


	3. ch3: Struggle

Ch3  
Struggle  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam Belong to me. I just borrowed them for this fic...  
-----------------   
  
In the simulator room Heero was busy with one of the guts spilled open on the side of the simulator pods.  
People were arriving sporadically and were noticing what Heero was doing, but couldn't do anything to stop him as he continued to plug through the machinery with the black box lying on it's side away from the mess.  
Finally he was satisfied with the connections, tubes, and electrical equipment lying around the heap and started pulling out key wires and re-attaching them into the black data box.  
"Could someone get Parfet please?" Asked Dureo from the observation tower seconds after seeing the horrible mess.  
Heero glanced up at the control room and then down at his work. He finished connecting the black box, then hit the SIMULATOR OPEN button.  
The fake cockpit cracked open and the top hatch craned up to permit Heero to flip into the cockpit and start accessing some systems.  
"All running simulations checks...Good." He said to himself, "Model ID...good. Skin texture...good. Uploading Stats...complete. Weapon sprites-"  
"Aie!! What has that man done!!!" Yipped Parfet as she saw what Heero had done to the simulator pod.  
A side panel had been taken out and many wires ran to the side of the pod and into it, with a solid black box and several disks lying on top of it.  
The girls in the simulator room were mystified at this- that's why they had summoned the great engineer Parfet.  
But Parfet was only beginning to understand what that man had done.  
"No no nonononononon..." She whimpered as she clasped at unused connection tubing, "This will take Days to fix!"  
Heero looked out of the simulator pod and at the confused and frustrated engineer.  
He paid it no mind and looked back at the screen as the simulation calibrated.  
"What the hell did you do to this sim Pod!"  
Heero looked to his left shoulder and saw Parfet there, her pencil-thin eyebrows curved down in anger.  
"...I added a Modification to the pod."  
"No duh, but you SCREWED THIS THING UP! Now can you please tell me how to fix it before I really get mad!?"  
"...no."  
"Agrh!" She fumed and went back to the pile, "Oh this is a mess..." Tears of sweat flew off Parfet as her worry expressed itself.  
Then the simulation beeped as it identified the new model.  
Heero clutched at the Van-type controls and muttered, "Now I have to do something about these controls. Ah well..."  
He reached a thumb forward to click the canopy closed when the system shut itself off.   
Heero looked up at the command module just as the simulator shut down.  
"Why don't you practice in one of our Van types?" Dureo asked though the intercom speakers in the cockpit.  
"I much rather prefer to use my own suit." Heero answered  
"It's called a van!" spoke an annoyed Hibiki through the speakers with his anger clearly expressed, "As in Van-type, can't you say it right?!"  
Heero blinked and responded, "I am used to calling general mecha Mobile suits. And besides, the only van I know of is a passenger automobile."  
Hibiki raged and fumed but Dureo remained calm and answered, "Nevertheless it is easier for us to repair Vans than it is to repair your Gundam. Why don't you give them a try and see how they perform."  
Heero's eyes turned to a deeper glare, "No thank you. The only mobile suit I will be using is Wing Zero."  
"It's a Frekin' VAN TYPE!!" Screamed Hibiki.  
Dureo moved one arm and shoved Hibiki away from the speaker, "We insist. Perhaps this kind of handicap is what you need...."  
"Listen," Said Heero, "I will accept no handicap. If you want my assistance, you will permit me to use Wing Zero. Is that understood?"  
Dureo was quiet for a moment.  
Then he answered, "Very well. Parfet, please leave the modifications alone...for the time being."  
Parfet's eyebrows went up and her eyes dropped in a saddened expression, annoyed at this pilot getting his way.  
"C'mon girls..." Said Parfet as she walked away.  
Heero heard the power come back on and continued the calibration tests.  
But he became aware of a presence off to his left and looked in that direction.  
A blue-hared, white-and-black uniformed woman of calm complexion was looking up at him.  
Heero's intuition told him this would be a tough adjustment to life aboard this ship.  
"Your name is Heero Yuy, correct?"  
"Yes." Answered Heero as he turned back to the calibration tests, "What do you want?"  
"I will be your master opponent." She said.  
Heero looked back at her, not intimidated, "Come to wish me luck?" He said, suspicious of any traces of Duo within this woman.  
"No. To warn you." She answered simply, "I have rarely lost a simulation battle. I have ranked high in Dread simulation scores..."  
"I...fear...no one." Said Heero in intentional pauses, "I have rarely lost myself...in real combat."  
"So be it." Nodded Meia as she started walking off towards another simpod.  
"Well, so this is the new man."  
Heero turned and looked at the blond woman and the green-hared one standing beside her, "Heero?"  
"As far as I knew." Replied Heero, "What do you want?"  
"Well, we came to warn you that-"  
"I've heard this all before. Move along." Replied Heero.  
Jura frowned, "Hn...well, I'll have to change that attitude Mr. Yuy. I haven't lost a battle since-"  
"Get in line." Said Heero.  
Jura huffed and walked off to her own simpod.  
Heero glared down at the green-hared one, "What do you want?"  
Barnette frowned, "I'm Barnette. Pleased to meet you too."  
As she started walking Heero turned back to the programming.  
The door opened once more, "There you are!"  
Heero looked back and blinked thrice as Dita rushed over to the cockpit and gazed goggle-eyed at Heero.  
Heero tried to ignore it but after a moment looked back, "I suppose you have come to warn me about your superior fighting skills."  
"Nope! I wanted to see you!"  
Heero paused a moment to contemplate this.  
"...what does that mean?"  
"Oh nothing!" She smiled.  
Then Hibiki entered the simulation room.  
Noticing Dita was distracted, he tip-toed to the far side of the room.  
But Dita seemed to have another sense that spotted Hibiki as plain as day, "Oh Mr. Alien!!"  
"AHH!"  
Hibiki took off running around the simulators, Dita in hot pursuit.  
Heero paid it little mind as he finished the calibration tests and then announced, "Ready."  
Dureo's face appeared on the small screen, "You realize if this entire thing crashes it's your fault."  
"Assuming I have successfully navigated your systems, it shouldn't."  
Dureo went on, "Also there are a number of medical concerns we adhere to on our home planet Taraaku. Do you want these standards also applied?"  
Heero gave it a moment's thought to contemplate the effects of ZERO on his brain, "No."  
"As you wish. I will notify you when-"  
"Don't bother, it's normal." Said Heero and then stabbed the canopy closed button.  
The canopy arched down and closed over simpod1.  
Heero clicked on several lights in the simulator and the pod became active, four glowing screens manifested themselves around his cockpit.  
SIMULATION LOADING appeared in block-lettering at the front screen.  
The data flowing loosely around the cockpit reminded Heero of the Epyon's computer helmet and the system that it used.  
*At least now I won't have to try and focus three inches in front of my face...*  
The simulator toned and the screens resolved themselves into a semi-golden black expanse full of stars.  
Ignoring all the color settings, Wing Zero Custom prominently stood out with it's blues, reds, and white.  
Heero had the beam cannon in one hand, the shield long since removed in the Wing Zero's transition from a Transformable suit to it's present form.  
Seeing no one had booted up, he jetted around in wait for anyone to appear and challenge him.  
They did, one by one.  
First was Barnette and Jura.  
"Well, ready to play Heero?" Asked Jura as her fighter weaved lazily.  
Heero turned and fired the particle gun.  
"Aie!!" The women screamed.  
Heero turned in his position, gunning for Jura with both barrels.  
"Helpmehelpme!!" Rambled Jura.  
Then ZERO warned him of a new entry.  
The icon identified it as Meia.  
He spun and fired.  
Meia was quick to dodge and return fire with the particle guns.  
Heero rolled to dodge and spread his wings wide to gain acceleration.  
Heero glanced down at the game-pad like control and wished he could have returned to a more normal system-  
He back thrusted to avoid getting sliced in half by a passing Barnette.  
Heero tossed away the Beam cannon and pulled the long beam saber from his shoulder and chose his targets.  
The 55 foot tall mecha blasted forward in an instant after Meia.  
Meia looked over her shoulder and tried to shake the avenging angel as it weaved in closer and closer.  
"Jura, Barnette, get in behind me!"  
The two Dreads positioned themselves.  
Only to have Heero cut the engines.  
"AAHHHH!!!!!"  
Barnette's fighter was sliced in half and spun before a SIMULATION END sign appeared on her controls.  
Heero stopped in space and flipped open the Gattling cannons to fire at a coming-around Jura.  
Then Dita and Hibiki appeared.  
"Right so-AH!"  
Hibiki cried out as Heero's Gattling fire sprayed in his direction.   
Hibiki and Dita combined shortly after and formed Vandread Dita.  
Heero found the Beam rifle and rushed for it.  
A wise Meia was firing in that direction and gave Heero a beating as he grabbed the rifle and swung with both tips glowing.  
"Lookout!"  
The Vandread flew out of the way as Heero was ready to fire.  
Then he separated the cannon.  
"WHAT!??!?!"  
Both beams went off simultaneously, one almost hitting Vandread Dita and the other enveloping a charging Jura.  
Heero was starting to enjoy himself.  
The Gundam pilot went up and spun to get another angle of attack.  
Meia and Hibiki were talking, "Hibiki."  
"Yeah what!?" Hibiki asked as he controlled his half of the Vandread from his cockpit.  
"You need to try and pin him with your attacks. We won't get anywhere as long as he has that gun."  
"Huh. So wha-AH!"  
The beams went off again and both pilots weaved to get out of the way and then again as gattling fire sparkled in space.  
Meia circled around and tried to close distance with the Gundam, distracting it to allow the Vandread to target Heero undistracted.  
Heero parted the beam cannon again.  
Only this time the Vandread got off the first shot.  
Heero witnessed the destruction of his virtual beam cannon.  
He let go of both ends and pulled out the Beam saber, turned and went after the Vandread.  
Hibiki moved the arms and parried the beam saber with one of the bigger particle cannons, charged to deflect the minovsky beam in the saber.  
Heero fired point-blank, trying to hit any sort of camera on the Vandread.  
Hibiki moved the other arm and slammed Heero.  
The Wing Zero tumbled in a repeat of what happened only a week ago.  
The Vandread closed the distance with Heero, intent on destroying the smaller unit.  
Heero had another card to play.  
He pulled a second beam saber and rushed at the Vandread to use both.  
Vandread Dita soon became two halves again...the torso and the legs.  
Heero turned and faced down Dread Meia and started chasing the enemy.  
  
"He's good." Observed Dureo.  
"You don't need to be some doc to figure that out." snorted Bart as he analyzed the result, his face reacting before his voice "Holy Smoke! A reaction time of 0.005 seconds! My God, that boy's a superman!"  
"No. It's that black box he put in." Said Dureo, "I think it's some sort of mind-machine interface system."  
"So, uh, is that a good thing?"  
"We may have ourselves a superior fighter." Said Dureo, "Not only has he defeated two dreads with virtually no difficulty, but he stopped the Vandread."  
"Well, that's because it's not the real thing." Waved Bart, "I'm sure we would have won if everyone was out there."  
"Perhaps. He seems to be having a mixed result against Meia..."  
Bart looked back at the screen.  
The performance level of Meia and Heero were virtually identical.  
  
Heero blocked the blast and charged again as he tried to catch up with a faster Meia.  
The Dread made a wide arc and Heero took this to an advantage as he sprayed the area of space she was in with gunfire.   
Meia then turned on a dime and gave him full force with her particle cannons.  
Heero ignored this in a last act of desperation and rushed at her with the beam sabers, the torso and legs blowing up under the fire.  
Then he swung as he rammed her unit.  
COMPUTER OVERLOAD!  
The simulator screens snapped off and started popping.  
"Ah!_" He hissed as the sparks flew.  
He hit the CANOPY OPEN button.  
Nothing.  
"Damnit..."  
He unbelted himself and looked for a way out.  
"Damnit!"  
He found latches to the cockpit hatch when he was playing around with the systems...  
He looked around and found a fire detector.  
Quickly, he grumbled around in the dark and sparking lights to unlatch the simulator covering and strip two electrical wiring.  
He pressed the two together.  
There was a snap and pop accompanying the fire.  
He yanked out the wiring and held it over the fire alarm.  
The pod alarms rang and the latches automatically undid themselves.  
Heero rammed his body against the simulator pod hatch and heaved with all his weight.  
He heaved again...and again....until he budged the heavy door.  
He managed to get it up and over like an open lid.  
Well at least there was some air..  
"I need some help here!" Cried Heero.  
Either they were elsewhere or no-one heard him.  
He pushed the hatch over more and more until he was able to slip out and see what was happening.  
Everyone was clustered around one of the pods at the far end of the bay.  
Heero hopped out and ran for the pod.  
  
"Meia! Meia can you hear us!? MEIA!!" Screamed Dita.  
Dureo, Parfeit, Hibiki, and Paiway were doing their best to try and get the pod open.  
Heero ran over, "What's going on?"  
"Meia's trapped inside when you blew the simulator. There's no way to get her out." Replied Dureo.  
Parfet wailed, "The hatch locks aren't responding to any sort of stimuli! They're jammed!"  
"Are there explosive bolts?"  
"What?"  
Heero theorized there had to be...and since he couldn't get at any sort of fire alarm...  
He crouched by the hatch and started to unscrew it.  
Parfet came down beside him, "Heero! You hands..."  
Heero ignored the electrical burns, "Just help me through this."  
She joined him in prying off the hatch and digging through the wiring and cabling.  
"What are you looking for?"  
"Something I spotted earlier..." He replied and his burned hand reached deep into the simulator, "Meia..."  
A voice answered him, too weak to understand.  
"Keep away from the doors!" He shouted as he bent down lower to the panel.  
Parfet watched.  
"I'm assuming this is a general high-power cable...here..." Said Heero.  
Parfet moved her head next to his to see, "Uh...I think so."  
"Keep away from the pod. EVERYONE GET BACK!"  
The crowd dispersed and headed to the opposite side of the room.  
Heero went back and followed the cable until his armpit was at the edge of the access panel, "When I trigger this be ready to pull out Meia."  
"What about you?"  
"I've got my hand next to the explosive bolt control. It should blow off the door and I'm not sure where it will land."  
Both of them were to the left side of the pod, hoping that the three-ton hatchway wouldn't crush them.  
Heero looked back at the wall, "Hopefully it won't blow my hand off get ready!"  
Parfet tensed.  
Heero reached around the box and found the control.  
A siren wailed thrice before the explosive bolts went off.  
The hatchway jarred slightly and moved. Smoke started coming out of the hatch.  
"Damnit." Heero reached his hand out and turned to Parfet, "Get a large leaver or something."  
"Right."  
As Parfet took off Heero stood, "Doc! I may need a respirator!"  
Dureo turned to Paiway, "Get an oxygen mask and stretcher HURRY!"  
Paiway nodded and ran off to the medical room without a word.  
Heero was now trying to shove the door off with his burned hands.  
Coughing was heard from within the simulator.  
"Meia!"  
"He-cough- Get me out..."  
The Doc rammed his hands against the side of the pod hatch and started shoving.  
Heero joined in and they managed to get a small hole open.  
Parfet returned with a large pole and was directed by Heero to wedge it in the open part.  
Paiway entered just as they were pulling on the lever.  
The door left the top of the simulator with a loud THUD and Meia was free.  
"Get her out of there!" Screamed a frightened Jura as she, Barnette, and Dita were cowering against one of the walls.  
Heero hopped down and grasped Meia to lift her up and out of the pod by her stomach.  
She seemed lifeless, her eyes closed, as Heero carried her up around the simulator edge.  
Once she was secured, Dureo and Paiway started heading for the door.  
Heero remained.  
"What are you doing!?!" Exclaimed Parfet.  
Heero turned to her, "I need to stay here and find out what happened."  
"The hell you are! Go after them and get those hands worked after."  
After Heero hesitated Parfet started shoving him, "Go...GO!"  
Heero decided to run to catch up with the doc.  
At least he could make sure no human lives were lost....  
  
He reached the doctor and helped wheel the stretcher into the medical room.  
Once inside he stopped and watched as they hooked up Meia to a respirator.  
"Quick, initialize the CPR." Ordered Dureo as he monitored her condition.  
Heero was powerless as he watched Meia's life hang in the balance.  
Dureo glared at Heero from his work and then attended to Meia.  
"Can I help?" He asked.  
Dureo looked down at Heero's hands, "Not in that condition."  
"I don't care. Can I help?"  
"You've done enough!" Cried Paiway.  
Dureo glared at her and then at Heero, "Just let us do our jobs Heero."  
Heero blinked and walked from the medical ward.  
  
A half-hour passed and Dita found Heero in the garden.  
His hands were still burned, and he had them in the free-flowing stream.  
Dita cautiously approached Heero.  
"Is she still alive?" He asked.  
Dita was a little shocked Heero could recognize her from that distance, but she nodded, "She'll be fine..."  
Heero sighed, "I nearly killed another person."  
She approached Heero and crouched down beside him.  
His eyes were staring at his burned hands, "Maybe I should keep these as a reminder..."  
"No need in punishing yourself young man." Said a voice.  
Dita and Heero looked at a standing Magano behind them.  
Heero looked back at the water, "Now I suppose I'll be thrown into the brig for this."  
"No...but what you did do was irresponsible." Magano spoke as she hobbled next to Heero and looked into the water.  
Heero sighed, "I thought I understood everything. It should have worked...an overload like that shouldn't have happened...It's my fault."  
"We'll let Parfet and her engineering team decide that." Replied Magano, "You should be thankful, you saved Meia's life. Your tinkering in that simulator helped save her...don't you feel any sort of accomplishment?"  
"...I feel responsible." Said Heero, "And that this event should not have happened. I caused unnecessary and unintentional injury to someone else. I have only done it once before..."  
Magano glowered down at the young man and then turned her glance up to the Stars.  
Heero sighed, "And now I'm even less welcome among your crew. This won't be good."  
"Young man, you should probably know that Meia was almost just like you."  
Heero looked up at the old woman.  
Magano went on, "When she first came here she had her moments...nearly causing accidents and constantly blamed herself. She thinks of having friends as a weakness...and mistakes as a sign of failure. She would be like you Heero, reluctant to do anything after something this severe. But...everyone got over it. She learned from her mistakes, and lived to become the person she is. Surely you can get over this and do the same, can't you?"  
Heero sighed and looked down at his hands again, "But everyone will hold a grudge against me for this act. How can I overcome-"  
"Perhaps what you need is a miracle Heero....one that only you can pull off."  
With that, Magano turned around and hobbled away, leaving Dita and Heero alone.  
"She's a woman of wisdom." Said Heero and looked back down at her hands, "A very wise woman..."  
Dita only blinked as she sat beside Heero.  
"I hope...." He started, "Do you...hate me?"  
"No." She said and looked at him, "I guess it was a simple mistake...it could have happened to any of us."  
"But I was responsible." Said Heero, "It's my fault for almost killing Meia..."  
"But it is your fault for saving her." Said Dita as she stood up, "I'm gonna go check on Meia, wanna come?"  
"No...I'll stay here..."  
Dita took a step away, still looking at Heero before she skipped off out of the garden.  
He sighed again as he dipped his blackened hands in the water, "Do all the women here have something thoughtful to say?"  
The rippling water had no answer as it flowed over his hands.  
"...Well, maybe not those Jura and Barnette girls..."  
He laughed to himself.  
  
The next time Heero entered the hospital ward he got several glares.  
He walked forward through the main room, his blackened hands no longer bleeding and only looking like helpless, charred flesh.  
He came for some bandages...and to check on Meia.  
He entered the emergency care ward and looked around.  
Paiway refused to look at him as she was monitoring the systems.  
Meia had an eye open and was looking at Heero.  
"Will she pull through?" Asked Heero.  
Paiway didn't answer.  
"Yes." Answered Dureo as he walked in, "She'll survive."  
Heero turned to face him, "I need some bandages."  
"We can take care of those." Said Dureo and left the room to return later, "It's an aerosol that treats burns."  
Heero held out his hands as the Doctor applied the spray to his burned hands and said, "I suggest you refrain from using these anytime soon....they'll be numb for a while but they should heal faster than normal."  
"...Good..." Said Heero and looked at Meia, "I'm...sorry...."  
"At least you spared her life," Said Dureo as he set the spray down on a console, "We have you to curse and thank for her condition. She will come through, but I wonder if she will still hold you in the same esteem."  
Heero looked at Meia, who had only moved her eyes.  
"She can't talk?"  
"Her vocal chords are still stunned. She can hear you, but she can't talk." Said the Doctor.  
Heero looked down at Meia's eyes, who were staring back at him.  
"Meia...I..." He started to say but closed his mouth and searched for more words, "...It was a good fight. I'm sorry...I'm sorry for what almost happened."  
He turned away, "Perhaps I shouldn't be here after all."  
With that he left the room with stares.  
Meia closed her eyes.  
  
Hibiki entered the doorway only to see the hatchway to Wing Zero open with Heero tapping on a computer on the top.  
"Well, came here to sulk!?" He blasted.  
Heero didn't respond.  
"I see, so you're just gonna sit there and keep working on your mecha to wash it all away huh? Well why don't you just go to Meia and-"  
"I'm leaving."  
"You're what!?"  
Heero answered as he closed the computer and placed it in his cockpit, "If I can't do anything acceptable to anyone, and If I'm a danger to everyone aboard this ship, then I shouldn't be here. I should just go and save everyone the trouble."  
"So you're running away."  
Heero paused at this.  
Hibiki yelled, "Well running away isn't going to help. Huh? I mean, if you-"   
"Nobody wants me here." He blurted in a strong tone, which silenced Hibiki, "And if nobody wants me to stay, I might as well leave and manage on my own."  
"Y-You're crazy!" Cried Hibiki, "You don't realize what's OUT there! Aliens out there are trying to harvest our body parts- You'd be dead under an hour!"  
"Then it will be my loss." Said Heero, "You can just keep living the way you have been...without any brushes with death from me..."  
They were both very quiet for a moment.  
"It seems death followed me here too..."  
After saying that sentence Heero lowered himself into the cockpit.  
The door closed and Heero activated the systems. He keyed in the frequency of the bridge, "Command bridge, this is Gundam. I'm heading out."  
BC answered him, "Where you going?"  
"I'm leaving." Replied Heero.  
"What?" BC ranted.  
"If nobody wants me around then I'll save everyone the trouble. Are you opening those doors or do I have to cut through them again?"  
BC paused for a moment, trying to decide of Heero was desperate or foolish.  
"We're opening the doors."  
Heero moved the Wing Zero as best he could to the far side of the hanger, where he was admitted out into space.  
Once free, Heero accelerated ahead and away from the Nirvana.  
  
"Young man... I guess I'll never understand him." Muttered Magano.  
BC looked at her commander, "You disapprove?"  
"No." responded Magano, "I was hoping he was stronger than that."  
Just then Parfet entered the Bridge, "Commander!"  
Both women turned to look at Parfet as she explained, "It wasn't Heero's fault! The system overloaded itself when the Doctor tried a detailed analysis on Heero when they were in close-quarters in the simulation! It wasn't his fault, the computer couldn't handle so many tasks at once and overloaded!"  
Magano and BC were silent.  
"...Is there something wrong?"  
Magano grumbled, "The problem child took off on his own."  
"What? Heero-"  
"Took off about ten seconds before you came in here."  
Parfet looked out the front screen of the monitor at the darkness of space, as well as the fading dot that was Heero Yuy.  
  
-----------------------   
Well I hope I got everyone in-character in this chapter....  
  
For those of you who would be asking why Heero would just leave on one incident is well...perhaps he's finally getting tired of unnecessary death and the harm of innocents.  
  
More to come. 


	4. ch4: Berserker

ch4  
Berserker  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam Belong to me.  
-----------------------------------------   
  
Heero was asleep in his cockpit.  
The Chronometer estimated about six hours since leaving the Nirvana behind.  
He sighed in his sleep, his thoughts elsewhere.  
  
*"Well I think we can get set-up..." Said Duo as the cloak on his Gundam burst open and the Deathsythe's wings extended.  
Heero still had his Gundam's wings folded up as he flew down to the surface.  
"Hey! Aren't you going to-"  
Then the Gundam's eyes flashed and the wings parted and spread out to their full extent. Double-beam rifle in hand, the Gundam continued it's descent.  
"Now that's what I'm talkin about!" Laughed Duo as the two Gundams made their way to the surface.  
Then multiple missile warnings chimed as surface guns opened fire.  
"Quite a welcoming committee eh?" Asked Duo as his Gundam landed.  
Heero maintained his position in the air and lowered his beam rifle at the first target.  
"Target acquired..."*  
  
Heero shifted in his cockpit as he continued to dream.  
In the cockpit the system was whining loudly.  
  
"Hey! Where they going?" Asked Duo.  
Heero was silent as he ceased firing and lowered the beam cannon, "Duo. Stay here and watch our friend down there."  
"What?"  
"Just stay airborne and keep moving."  
With that the Wing Zero took off through the hole in the roof.  
"Heh...whatever." Replied Duo and looked down at the angry Eva below him. "hehe...can't get me from up here can you?"  
The Eva growled a response and leaped.  
"Whoa!" Called Duo as he jetted away and watched the Eva land and try again.  
"Keep moving he said...Shesh!"  
  
Heero cleared the hole and looked up to see the new incoming enemy.  
It appeared to be a-  
  
The computer tone woke him up.  
He reached forward and was about to switch off the ZERO system when he realized that it was on a strange frequency....  
But an alert tone caught him.  
Four unidentified objects were closing in from behind.  
He immediately brought all systems back up and looked behind him.  
Four X shaped fighters with purple engines were approaching.  
Heero clicked on the communications bandwidth, "Identify yourself."  
No answer came over the crackling energy beam as the four X ships approached and whipped past and around him.  
Heero didn't have the impression these units were friendly and went on the offensive.   
He flipped open the shoulder Gattling cannons and fired those into the closest one, pitting the shields.  
Then he swung the beam cannon and annihilated one with a simple burst from one of the cannons and turned the other one to destroy a second.  
The other two swirled and turned.  
Heero pursued them.  
  
From her post, Belvedere informed, "Commander, I'm registering particle beam fire ahead."  
"Are you certain?" Asked BC.  
"It could be Heero...." Belvedere replied.  
BC turned to Magano, "Shall we go after him?"  
"No."  
"What?"  
"We'll see what he can do...If he wants our help he'll signal us."  
  
Heero emerged into a thicket of enemy fire.  
ZERO guided his actions as he weaved in and out of fire with beam cannon in hand and anger on his brain.  
He also had a beam saber deployed, and anyone getting too close was immediately destroyed.  
The Cubes were learning fast Wing Zero was no easy target.  
Heero rammed one of the Cubes with his saber before kicking off and turning up his beam cannon to one of the Pods.  
ZERO gave him clearance and he fired.  
The Pod gained a hole through it's center and exploded into a large fireball of uncontrollable fury.  
Heero rolled and sliced a fighter in half before completing his roll and firing his chest Gattlings against an incoming group of Cubes.  
The Cubes scattered, parting the way for Heero to fire his Beam cannon again at the second pod.  
It blistered and popped, spraying debris free and everywhere.  
Heero thrusted fast after a group of fleeing X fighters, intent on destroying them.  
A warning blipped behind him and he cut his jets.  
Cubes scattered but not all of them made it as Heero extracted vengeance against the unshielded humanoid Cubes.  
He feinted in the sky before pumping the wings and turning after a cloud of fleeing Cubes.  
He raised the beam cannon and got a confirmation.  
Wait...  
This was too small to be an attack force.   
And they were heading AWAY from the Nirvana...  
What little he suspected of these enemies, he started thinking.  
ZERO had an answer.  
Heero made an about face and put everything into the engines.  
  
Before anyone knew it Pods had surrounded the Nirvana and were deploying fighters.  
The Dreads were rushed into combat in the middle of the fighting.  
Only Meia was missing.  
And they still didn't have a secondary leader....  
"Hibiki, do your best." Said BC, "We might not be able to get Meia back into combat for a while, so don't expect any miracles."  
"Relax! We can pull this off, remember last time?"  
"I think they remember...they're making loose formations." Informed Ezra.  
BC turned back to Hibiki, "Just see what you can do."  
Hibiki nodded and the screen clicked off.  
Shields were pulsing.  
"We've lost the first port and forward shields!"  
A minute of panic passed before, "Port second shield is down!"  
Then there was a distant light out to starboard.  
"What's-"  
A long column of light flashed out and annihilated a pod. The Pod crackled with the gaping hole in it before it exploded.  
"It's a Gundam!"  
  
The Avenging Angel swooped down past Vandread Dita with guns firing.  
The X fighters rolled around and paid absolute attention to Heero.  
The Gundam fighter rolled and fired the beam cannon into another Pod as rains of energy were too late to stop him.  
X fighters were forming up in a line behind him.  
Heero stopped in space, beam saber ready.  
As they flew around past him he cut through one, two, and three as they barely missed.  
"Way ta go Heero!" Cheered Ezra.  
Heero didn't begin to fight.  
The ZERO system took control, aiming shots and firing them before they happened.  
Whines and clicks were the only form of communication as the Zero system guided his perfect shots.  
But more pods appeared, as well as the survivors of the distraction force Heero fought.  
He needed more hands...if he could have been directing Mobile Dolls this would have been easy...  
Wait-  
He tapped the comm., "All dread teams form up on me."  
"What?" Asked Jura, "He's back?"  
"No arguments!" He commanded, "Form up!"  
Surviving Dreads formed up behind the Wing Zero as it continued to fly  
"Formation one, target Pod 8. I'm feeding you information. Formation 2, concentrate your fire in the general areas of Pod 6 and 4...make them think we're targeting them. Vandread-"  
"Wait! Who said you were-"  
"Do you want to live or not?"  
Hibiki went silent.  
"Vandread, direct your fire with fighter group2. Group 1, prepare to receive more orders. Now, GO!"  
The formations broke up and separated for their own targets.   
Heero aimed his beam cannon up, and the nozzles glowed bright hot.  
"Group one, scatter away from Pod8."  
The Dreads scattered in a circular pattern, flying up and away and giving Heero a good-sized hole.  
He unleashed both barrels and the Pod and any fighters in the vicinity were wiped out.  
Heero called, "Group one, form up on me and give me a flying wedge."  
  
As Magano watched a gigantic X had formed in space and was firing into a cloud of fighters, with Heero at the center.  
"That man's remarkable..." Said BC, "How can he guide formations like that?"  
"Must have inherited it from Meia."  
  
Those tactic lessons Quarte taught Heero some two years ago were really coming in handy.  
"Group 1, casualties?"  
"We've lost six fighters...we have four left..." Said Barnette, "Jura's out."  
"Pull back to the Nirvana. Hibiki, cover them. Group 2, break formation and form a regular X. Support Group 1's retreat."  
"And what are you supposed to do?"  
Heero didn't answer Hibiki as he jetted up and became the top-most thing in the battlefield and raised the beam cannon.  
The nozzles glowed with power.  
  
"Heero's charging the beam cannon...." Informed Ezra, "I think it's on overload..."  
"Is he committing suicide!?" Asked BC.  
Then Amarone cried, "Ma'am! The enemy is retreating!"  
They all looked to see the fighters, cubes, and pods fleeing as rapidly as possible.  
"I wonder why they're all leaving..." BC said.  
  
Heero was using Fear to his advantage.  
He still had his targeter on...and any longer the Beam cannon would overload.  
So he pressed the trigger.  
The annihilation beam went wide and powerful, almost the same power that destroyed the last Libra fragment long ago...  
A large portionage of the enemy force was annihilated in the bright light of destruction.  
But there were also survivors.  
Heero was gunning to go after them when a communication came in from the Nirvana, "Heero."  
Heero ignored this.  
"Heero! Get back here!"  
Heero clicked off the comm.  
  
"Stubborn boy." Grumbled Magano.  
"Now do we go after him?"  
"Why not?"  
The Nirvana's engine pulsed as the ship started after the lone Gundam pilot.  
  
Heero was on the nervous edge.  
The cockpit lights were winking the presence of the enemy units.  
*Heero, if you go too far, there's a limit...* He reminded himself.  
But he must teach these aliens that HE had a limit, and HE would destroy every last one if necessary.  
For his forgiveness to the crew of the Nirvana...  
And his mission.  
The XXXG-00W0K continue roaring after the aliens.  
  
Heero didn't remember what happened next.  
Only his vision went red.  
The aliens had turned around and were swarming him.   
The ZERO system was working perfectly.  
Heero, like a madman, screamed as his fury drove him.  
One enemy, two, three fell to his beam saber before the guns annihilated another.  
He swung the drooling cannon up and fired it into an enemy Pod, blowing it to smithereens like the rest.  
Then he dropped the cannon and favored the green saber as he rushed at a group of unfortunate cubes.  
Their pilotforms were melted in the super-hot beam saber as it left no mercy.  
X-fighters combined and tried to flush out Heero with one shot but the Zero system warned him light years before the beam even started.   
The result was an enraged Gundam coming down on them and annihilating every single one of that formation.  
Another wave of Cubes opened fire on his Gundam, like raindrops they fell at his target...and were moving just as slow in his vision as he weaved through and weathered several bolts of energy and closed in on the Cubes.  
He flashed past them, slicing one apart before turning and firing gattling guns into their formation.  
Then he turned and charged at one of the pods.  
Large flashes of energy emitted from the sides of the pod, arching out at Heero, and any touch was lethal.  
To Heero they were as slow as snails, as he easily dodged each one with Zero's assistance.  
Then he reached the side and plunged the saber into the side and pulled it across the hull.  
After he left the dying Pod it blistered and exploded as he fought another wave of fighters single-handedly.   
Approaching was the Nirvana.  
"Can we launch fighters?"  
"Yes."  
"Do it." Ordered BC.  
The Vandread and accompanying dreads streaked off into battle.  
"I can't believe he's taking on all those forces..." BC said.  
Magano's eyes narrowed, "There's something wrong..."  
  
Just as Vandread Dita approached the Wing reacted.  
The ZERO system added them on the potential targets list, and the Wing Zero attacked.  
"Hey, why is he-" Started Hibiki but had to block Heero's Beam saber.  
"Heero! What the hell's gotten into you!?" Demanded Hibiki.  
"Must...Destroy all enemies...." rasped Heero and shoved off, turned around, and blasted at a closing group of Cubes.  
He pulled another beam saber out and with both he killed a pair, turned and fired into the aft of the other two Cubes. Then he flipped around and flew upside-down into a flight of X-fighters, cutting one in half and turning to stab another as it tried to rush by.   
"What's up with Heero?" Asked Hibiki as he and the Dreads drifted on the edge of the battle.  
  
Dureo sat up, "It's that computer system. The system seems to have overridden him...he's confused...and upset..."  
"Is that what your sensors are telling you?" BC asked.  
"That's what the monitor I put in his cockpit is telling me."  
  
Heero flew backwards as the Gattlings chattered and ran out of ammo. Then he pulled his left arm back and slashed across another X-fighter before flying through it's remains and coming around to go at another group.  
His stare was that of rage now, fighting without a cause as he hounded and chased down the robotic harvesters.  
"Dolls...they're all Dolls!!!"  
As more Cubes came into his vision they were replaced by Virgo Mobile dolls, armed with their beam cannons and with crackling planetary defensor shields.  
Heero rushed in, touching the Mobile dolls with his sabers and killing them. He turned and rushed at another group, the eyes of the Wing Zero glowing like fire.  
He dove into the formation, cutting it apart in seconds without any mercy.  
The last remaining Pod was turning and trying to flee.  
"There is no escape..." Heero growled as he uncontrollably rushed at the Pod, sabers brimming with power.  
The pod launched more Cubes to intercept the rouge pilot before it's imminent destruction.  
This didn't Matter as he ignored any cube that he didn't kill on his way at the Pod.  
The Pod's guns opened fire and Heero weathered or ignored the shots as they rushed at him.  
Then he came low over the surface, both sabers digging through the surface of the pod and hitting many systems relay.  
When he pulled away, the only thing left was an in-progress explosion.  
He came around and hounded the last of the X-fighters and cubes, showing no mercy as he chased and hacked across the last X-fighter once all else had been destroyed.  
Several targets remained on his kill list.  
He rushed for the Dreads.  
"He's coming....." Whined Dita as she backed up nervously into Hibiki.  
"Yeah I know..." Said Hibiki as he armed his guns and opened fire.  
Heero dodged them like they were standing still and approached with a beam saber.  
"SCATTER!"  
The Dreads and Vandread separated, but Heero was chasing closely after the Vandread.  
"DamnitDamnitDAMNTI!" Cursed Hibiki, "What the hell's wrong with him?"  
"The Zero system's controlling him!" Replied Dureo over the intercom, "He can't help himself! You have to distract him until we can find some way to stop him..."  
"Shouldn't we just blast him?" Asked Jura, "I mean it's not like he's one of us, right?"  
Silence followed as Hibiki tried to dodge the rampaging Gundam.   
  
"We need to find some way to disable him," Said Dureo as he sat in his operator chair on the bridge, "A sharp jarring could knock him out and make him easy to capture."  
"It could also kill him." Said BC, "We need-"  
"Meia reporting for duty..." Said a weak Meia.  
Everyone looked at her.  
"Meia, you should be in sickbay!" Cried BC.  
"I can stand...I can fight..." She said wearily.  
Magano nodded and turned, "Get her in her dread."  
"What?"  
"Well you heard me! Get her fighter ready!" Replied the commander.  
  
Heero didn't hear any of the pleas from the Dreads as he chased them down.  
To them, they were all Mobile Dolls...fast ones...Tauruses, as they evaded him.  
No voice of Relena came to stop him this time...no image of a friend.  
He was alone.  
  
Meia was closing in.  
She was still weak from inhaling all that smoke, but she was good enough to stand, walk, and fight. She would push herself to the limits.  
From what Dureo told her on her way to the hanger, she would need to continue the fight she had with Heero just before she blanked out.  
Only this time, it was real.  
She hit full throttle.  
  
Heero rushed at Jura, as he flipped over her in an effort to hack her fighter in half.  
The Wing Zero activated thrust and bounced off space as it flew after Jura.  
Then a white fighter approached from the other side and fired into him.  
"Huh?"  
Heero rolled away into space and hovered there for a moment.  
His eyes were wide and watching the graceful white flyer that was coming around.  
He moved again, this time targeting the white thing.  
Meia noticed Heero following and pushed up the throttle.  
Heero started to come around, trying to pull away his hand as if it had been glued there.   
He growled as he tore his arm from the control and bashed it into the holo-tank, cracking the glass.  
Wing Zero veered left and then stopped in space as he ripped his hand from the other control and bashed it on the holo-tank.  
"I mustn't..." He growled with a hum, the word trapped on his tongue as his eyes were narrowed, "Accursed suit....why?"  
The Dreads were closing in and firing on him.  
Heero screamed, turned and found the self-destruct.  
"Mission...Incomplete!"  
He hit it for the second time in his stay here.  
Again nothing.  
His pulse became rapid.  
  
"Stop shooting!" Cried Dureo.  
BC looked over his shoulder at the medical panel, "His heart rate's off the chart!"  
"What's going on?" Magano asked.  
"He's going through a nervous breakdown." Said Dureo, "If we don't get him out of there soon he may be brain-dead."  
  
Heero was struggling to get his space suit on.  
Air, I need air...  
He pressed his helmet on and ignored the familiar hiss.  
"I gotta...get....out...I need...air...."  
He opened the canopy and the cabin depressurized instantly, blowing out anything not tied down.  
In his hastily-donned space suit he drifted out into space, his eyes closed.  
"What...what's going on?" Asked Hibiki.  
Meia hovered her fighter in close to the hovering figure and extended a claw.  
Heero drifted into it, his eyes closed with peace.  
  
--------------------------   
Well that's the second part of the biggest story deviation...  
  
So was it good? I hope so, and did anyone notice the references to Evangelion in the dream sequences? Heh, it's not the title that I was talking of earlier, "Mechqa" but it's from another fic that's lost on my hard drive somewhere...  
  
...And Sadly enough I don't think Mechqa could ever return to FF.net. I've lost it without any hope of recover and can't seem to find it anywhere in the files I saved from switching my computers (From a public-used one to my own...) So unless somebody has a copy somewhere, we won't ever see it again.... 


	5. ch5: Dream

Ch5  
Dream  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam belong to me.  
  
-------------------   
  
In the medical ward, Heero was really fast asleep.  
Dureo and everyone else were in the room watching his condition.  
"He's stable...but I'm not sure how much brain damage he may have suffered through is. He seems normal, but..."  
"What?" Asked Dita.  
The doctor pulled up a display on the master monitor, "This is brain activity."  
The line, normally a soft wave, was a very erratic and active line.  
"He's fighting with himself." Said Dureo, "He's fighting something in his mind..."  
Everyone was silent as they watched the graph.  
"Well, who want's some lunch?" Asked Jura.  
Everyone looked at her.  
"What? It's not like you care about him is it? I mean, he almost killed Meia..."  
"Hn. Gratitude for you."  
All except Heero looked at Magano, who said firm under her hood, "Look at you ungrateful children. This young man didn't leave for selfish reasons, he left because you made him! Only a select few of you tried to help him, and the rest of you scorned him for making a simple mistake! You call yourselves humans..."  
"But he almost killed us!" Replied Barnette with a closed fist.  
"Because he was confused." Muttered Magano, "he's fighting the instinct of either leaving...or suicide."  
There was a collective moment of silence.  
"Yes, shame on you all for making him feel unwelcome. He was our guest."  
Inside Heero's mind, it was another story.  
  
*He was fighting Zechs again.  
The Purple Epyon rushed at him, wielding unnessicary cruelty as it tried to kill Heero.  
But...he was in Wing...  
He was fighting with only the rejected Wing Gundam of his mobile suit.  
But he was winning.  
He withdrew the beam saber and fought Zechs with this weapon, doing his best to try and kill his enemy and rival.  
But in the last waltz, he slashed across the chest of Epyon.  
As he landed he whirled to see the open cockpit and dead pilot.  
But it wasn't Zechs.  
Heero was staring into his own, blank and dead eyes.  
  
Then the battle against the Mobile dolls outside.  
All of them clustering around-toys for his amusement.  
ZERO was like a barrier, shielding him from harm and dealing death and damage to all those unfortunate to be closeby.   
And in his rage, he came down on five mobile suits.  
He attacked with a vengeance, slicing apart their bodies.  
Once he came to a stop, he looked over his work.  
But they started to change.  
Instead of the five Gundams he had been facing against, they re-manifested themselves into crashed Dreads.  
"What?"  
The last one was Meia's Dread, crashed nose-first in the ground.  
"But...it can't..."  
Then came down several dark shadows, landing all around him and preparing to kill. Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, and lavender eyes.  
Then they all advanced as one, rushing at him with their weapons.  
Heero closed his eyes.*  
  
Everyone else had gone.  
Paiway was in another part of the hospital working with Dureo.  
Only Meia stayed behind with Dita.  
There was a silence between them as they looked at the strange, injured boy on the table.  
"I hope Mr. Gundam makes it out all right..." Said Dita absently.  
Meia didn't reply immediately but spoke, "He's a strange man...I wonder if all men from where he comes from act like this..."  
"I hope he makes it out okay..." Muttered Dita.  
Meia was quiet and didn't answer as Heero continued to fight with himself.  
  
*Heero drifted in space, his eyes closed as he fell slowly.  
When he opened them again the world changed from a starfeild to a large, rolling grassland.  
He looked across the grassland at a trio of little girls playing.  
As they ran closer he identified all three.  
Jura, Dita, and...Meia...  
They stared back at him.  
"What is this place?"  
They all laughed and ran off.  
Heero watched them run off and heard a loud aircraft. He ducked and watched it fly off, identifying it as Meia's Dread.  
But as it circled around he could see it change and shift form to something bigger, larger, more intimidating...yet so graceful.  
Then it came in on a collision course.  
Heero shielded himself and closed his eyes.  
"Dear? Why are you doing that?"  
Heero opened his eyes and rested his hands.  
He was in some sort of house...  
"Heero, what's the matter?"  
He had had this dream before, so standing next to him sho-  
-ldn't be Meia.  
She looked normal, not the Meia he remembered...this one was calm and wearing normal clothing...also absent was the unusual head ornament.   
She smiled at him and asked, "That's better. How about I get us some coffee?"  
She stood and walked off, Heero watching as she gracefully walked across the room as an adult.  
Three children rushed past at play, two miniature Meias and a chibi Heero.  
"...This must be a dream..."  
Meia returned with the coffee and sat beside him.  
He took the cup and stared into it.  
When Relena was in this one he had tea...  
And where was-  
Dita walked in as an adult, smiled and said, "Your children are something else!"  
She walked off after them.  
Wait...that should have been Hildie...  
He looked back into his cup.  
Instead of the reflection of the Gundam which he had seen before...it was the Nirvana...*  
  
There was a gasp as Heero's eyes snapped open.  
He looked up at the two women standing over him.  
There was a mutual silence.  
"Can you release me please?" Asked the calm, flat voice of his wife.  
Wait...  
He was back on the Nirvana and-  
His hand was clasped around her wrist.  
Heero willed it to release Meia.  
"You're awake!" Cheered Dita, "We thought you'd be out for a while Mr. Gundam!"  
"How long have I been out?" He asked.  
"Four days." Said Meia, "Whatever hit you hit you good."  
Heero looked up at the ceiling to assess himself, "Minor brain damage."  
"And you're exhausted." Replied Meia, "The ZERO system took a lot out of you."  
Heero muttered, "I let it control me. I lost control...anger took over."  
"I'll say, you were a monster!" Yipped Dita, "But you're okay now!"  
"More or less...." Murmured Heero, "It feels like I have been hit by a mallet... When it hurt."  
"You should rest." Said Meia, "When you're well again you'll receive a debriefing."  
Meia turned around and started to walk away.  
"You're welcome...for saving your life."  
Meia stopped in the doorway.  
"Thank you."  
She continued walking away and left the room.  
Heero closed his eyes and heard Dita, "It wasn't your fault Mr. Gundam...a diagnostic thingy by the doc overloaded the simulator and fried your brain."  
"No wonder." Said Heero, "I had an advanced processor and capacitors in that installation package."  
Heero heaved a sigh, "I should get some rest."  
As Heero launched into unconsciousness Dita placed her hand over his, "Great to have you back Mr. Gundam..."  
Heero probably didn't hear her, so she turned and gave Heero more sleep in peace.  
  
When Heero awoke the second time the Doctor was standing above him and moving away the diagnostics.  
"Well, you're awake." Said Dureo.  
Heero asked, "Am I fit?"  
"The X-ray seems to think so." Said Dureo, "How do you feel?"  
"...headache." Said Heero.  
"Shouldn't last long. You should go eat something." Said Dureo.  
Heero slipped off the bed and stood. After a pause he asked, "Am I forgiven?"  
Dureo hesitated for a moment, "Yes...you are."  
Heero looked back at the doctor before "Hn." And walked out the doors.  
  
In the galley people looked up and hung their heads for a moment.  
Heero wondered why and got his breakfast, and walked over to a lone seat to start eating.  
No one approached him during his meal.  
"Hi!" Dita said as she walked past.  
Heero looked up to acknowledge her and a semi-pleasant grin crossed his face.  
At least everyone didn't hate him...  
He went back to his meal and continued eating.  
Meia looked up from her table across the room to where Heero was seated and lunching alone.  
She was...startled by this new feeling. Yes...it was inside her, growing in her chest. She haddn't felt it for the longest time...ever since...  
But then again, there were elements alien to her as well. She could feel her metabolism churning in her chest and torso, like some long-awaited dragon was awakening...or a ball of string uncoiling for the first time...  
Men. What was it with them that set her off?  
Why was she feeling this way, least of all to that strange man that nearly killed her...and saved her life.  
She blinked several more times before turning to her own meal.  
  
Almost an Hour later Heero was again walking the corridors to the Nirvana, headed for the front part of the upper hull.  
His mission....exercise.  
He had just finished his jog and was pacing the nose of the old colony ship when suddenly a pink and tan blur pounced on him from right.  
"...Ow."  
Dita laughed as she clung onto Heero, "Hello Mr. Gundam!"  
"...Hello yourself." Answered Heero with no emotion whatsoever, "Why are you doing this?"  
Dita laughed, "Mr. Alien's not around so I decided to pounce on you!"  
"...I feel...honored."  
She smiled.  
"-But I must be going." He said as he tried to stand up, but she wouldn't let go.  
"...Do you mind?"  
"What?" She laughed.  
Heero then looked right and said, "Isn't that Hibiki?"  
Hibiki froze, panicked, and ran as fast as one could as Dita rushed off after him.  
Heero laughed, turned, and ran face-first into something soft.  
"Well hello there little man."  
"Jura." Muffled Heero between her breasts, "What do you want?"  
She laughed softly and extracted her...er...chest from Heero's face and walked away with a smirk.  
Heero was beginning to wonder for the second time why in all places he landed here.  
...He decided his walk would be safer elsewhere and headed for the platform.  
  
In the cold vastness of space, a pair of green eyes flashed on. The form, which had been following a specific trail of energy, now found it's target :the Nirvana.  
"Gotcha..." Said a hostile voice that showed signs of anger, hatred, and a burning.  
Another Gundam, green and dangerous, blew on it's engines and leapt from the shadows. It pulled a large item from the back of it's shelter and it extended full length to become a large pole. A second later both ends ignited in a harsh green flame.  
Nataku had arrived.  
  
Just as Heero entered the platform there was a violent shake that could have tossed Heero to the ground...assuming he wasn't a first-rate assassin.  
"All pilots! Man your fighters! This is not a drill!"  
No second warning was needed as Heero ran for the parked Gundam.  
  
"What is it?" Demanded Magano from her seat as it reached ground level.  
The pregnant operator Erza reported, "Unknown! It appears to be a Gundam-type!"  
"Gundam? Another one?" BC inquired  
"Confirmed! Launch of Gundam unit 0-W-0!"  
  
The wing-folded white object cast itself out of the hanger.  
The eyes flashed three times in succession before the wings gracefully pulled apart to reveal the Wing Zero Kai.  
"Gotcha!"  
Several streams of bullet fire flew overhead as Heero turned and whipped out a Beam saber to clash with the green trident of the enemy unit. A pair of sick green eyes stared back into the head of one of the famous Gundams in the history of the After colony area.  
The immistakeble green helmet had changed some, with additional horn elements and other green and white details.  
"Now I have you!" Replied the hostile voice of the pilot.  
Heero blinked in recognition, "Wufei?"  
The Chinese pilot shoved off the Wing Zero, twirled the Nagenta, and flung forward one of it's Dragon-fang equipped arms.  
The dragon head shot by and Heero was quick sway his Gundam out of the way and retaliate with bullet fire.  
The re-built Gundam Nataku Altron swung it's new three tails and fired a rapid succession of blasts into the enemy.  
Heero shielded himself with one of the wings and spoke, "Wufei, what is all this nonsense?"  
"Silence! Fool!!" Screamed the Nataku's pilot as a dragon fang clamped down and shot a burst of green plasma fire.  
Heero jetted back with one of his wings scarred and was relived to see blue blaster fire from his right.  
Flying past and at incredible speed was Dread Meia as it whipped past in a streak of white.  
"So, this isn't a one-on-one...how disappointing." Hissed the voice as Wufei aimed and fired.  
"Meia!"  
The White Dread rolled out of the way of the plasma.  
Meia panted from that close call and pulled up and around to get another shot.  
Wufei ignored the Dread and turned it's attention back on Heero as the head machine guns opened fire.  
Heero ignored these as he replied with the heavier vulcan cannons.  
Wufei hovered in space before a series of explosions rocked his Gundam as Dreads Meia, Jura, and Dita whipped by...in that order.  
But Nataku waited and shot out one of the hydra-like Dragon fangs.  
Heero lifted an arm to block but the snake head coiled itself around the arm and bit into it.  
Warnings and sirens rang as malfunctions went up and down the arm.  
But then another series of blasts severed the connection and Dread Meia whipped by.  
"We're even." She said as she banked around.  
Heero smirked but looked back forward as Wufei grunted, "Pesant!"  
The Altron shuddered as It forcibly edjected the severed assembly to the right arm Dragon fang, leaving only the left one intact; "So much for being a man of Honor!"  
Heero didn't reply immediately as the Altron advanced and tried to dissect him with the beam naginata.  
Heero grabbed the Nagenta with the right hand and tried his best with the left, the dragon head still having it's fangs buried in the armor.  
"Wufei, come to your senses. Why are you attacking me?"  
"Defend yourself!" Cried Wufei as he swung his suit and kicked at Heero, forcing the Mobile suit into a spin.  
"Yah!"  
The Nagenta swung out at Heero and hit his side.  
Sparks flew from one side of the cockpit as Panels short-circuted and overloaded.  
But a shadow loomed over the Nataku.  
"Wha?"  
Wufei was quick to get away as a large fist flew down into the space he just was.  
Wufei looked at the large, blue monster that had materialized; "No..."  
Vandread Dita had appeared.  
Wufei twirled his Nagenta into one arm and pointed at Heero with the other, "This isn't over!"  
The Nataku completed it's 180 turnaround and flew off, becoming a fading blue dot in the horizon.  
"Mr. Gundam! Are you okay?" Dita asked from the Vandread.  
Heero was looking at the dot.  
  
"So you don't remember anything?"  
Heero shook his head, "Only fragments."  
Magano was seated across from Heero and had asked him seconds before about anything he could remember before he ended up on the Nirvana.   
"And this pilot? You claim to know him."  
"Chang Wufei. Chinese. He's a stubborn man who takes Justice to the extream. I'm not suspired he attacked me but he has no motive. I am also questioning how he rebuilt his Gundam and how he ended up here."  
"Surprised about the Gundam? How so?"  
"Several years ago," Explained Heero, "There were only five Gundams known about. Those same five belonged to me and my close friends. All were declared destroyed...except mine. Mine wasn't self-destructed...it was heavily damaged, but not totaled. I rebuilt it and used it as a tool to defend the colonies...and that's all I can remember."  
"What's the last you can remember about this Chang Wufei?"  
"I remember he and I had some argument...I can't be sure how it ended. He was upset that I was working outside the enforcement police group I suppose, they were called the Preventors. All my friends were in or associated with them, except me. I refused to join them because of their backward approach and ties with the government. I was a man of action, I didn't need to get involved."  
"And that is all you can remember?"  
  
*"So what?" Heero asked as he raised the weapon of the Wing Zero and aimed it at the Sanq palace, "That was my girl. It's not worth living anymore."  
He watched as the terroritsts started running from the building.  
What was he doing?  
Heero moved the arms on the fake Wing Zero and dropped the gun.  
"Heero, what are you doing?" Quarte asked over the comm.  
Heero ignored it as he wlaked the Wing Zero closer and slammed a hand down into the pavement and parked the other one down to trap the terrorists.  
They looked up at the Wing Zero in horror as one of them pulled out a detonator.  
Heero swung one of the arms-*  
  
*"So you're not in?"  
Heero looked up.  
Seated at the other end of the table was Quarte and Duo. Wufei was leaning against the wall at the back and Trowa was standing.   
Heero sat opposite to them all, and was the only one not wearing a Preventor jacket.  
"No." Heero answered simply.  
"Why not?"  
"Do you blame him?" Asked Wufei, "After that stunt he pulled."  
"They're all captured now, so it doesn't matter either way." Quarte replied and turned back to Heero, "Why won't you join us?"  
Heero blinked, "I have no desire to be in the Preventor Organization."  
"Hey man, it's the only way for us to go! I mean, it's not like there's anywhere else you'd fit in."  
Heero ignored Duo and asked, "Quarte, how's the conferences going?"  
"Well," Nodded Quarte, "Ever since we got them out of there."  
"Is Relena well?"  
"Yes she-"  
Heero stood, "Did she ask to see me."  
Quarte and Duo looked at one another.  
"Huh...come ta think of it no..." Said Duo and shrugged, "Sorry buddy."  
"Hn..." Replied Heero and started walking.  
"Heero."  
Heero turned.  
Trowa had spoken for the first time, "Where are you going?"  
"...Somehwere. The shadows." Heero replied and walked outside.*  
  
"Heero?"  
Heero looked up.  
"Are you all right?" Magano asked, her head tilted.  
  
*Heero stood sharply.  
"You're serious then." Said Lady Une.  
"Most." Replied Heero, "The colonies don't need your police actions Preventor. If you won't agree to this, then I must do what I can."  
Lady Une...or the new director of Preventor actions, blinked and started, "Heero, you must understand that there are individuals in the colonies-"  
"I don't need to hear the speech." Said Heero, "I heard it from Sally already."  
Une pursed her lips, "So your'e still a Gundam pilot. I guess out of all the five, you are the last remaining one."  
Heero glared at her for a moment before turning and leaving.  
This was the last straw.*  
  
"-should go to sick bay and have the Doctor look at that arm."  
Heero realized he was being talked to. He also knew that his arm had several cuts in it from the battle.  
"...Oh..." Heero realized as he stood and left the room.  
Once he did so, BC emerged from her area of silence, "You realize this is another enemy to add to the list. If this Wufei does join up with the enemy it could be a significant threat."  
"I know." Replied Magano and sighed, "But I worry about that boy."  
"How so?"  
"It seemed to me like he was fighting an old friend...and that talk we had just now dug up some bad memories...and ones from long ago."  
  
------------------------------   
Okay, so we have the second round of returning pilots...  
And by chance did anyone notice that the harvesters used the X fighters only once? 


	6. ch6: Broken Bow

Ch6  
Broken Bow  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam belong to me  
  
-----------------------   
  
Heero collapsed against the wall on his way to the medical ward. His eyes were open and a flashback had hit him.  
  
*"Heero!!"  
Heero didn't look back at Hildie as he hopped into Duo's truck and flipped down the window shade to grab the keys and start the MS truck.  
The Mobile suit carrier had a number of parts on it, the biggest being the fragments left over from the last Mobile suit- Wing Zero.  
Hildie was cursing as Heero drove off with the Mobile suit parts.*  
  
Heero grunted as he got up and started onward, looking out a window.  
  
*The Startup.  
He had done it many times before, and this was no exception.  
Well...one.  
His goal:  
Destruction of all Preventors.  
He hit several keys.  
The shuttle, which had been drifting aimlessly, now exploded as the Wing Zero came out of it's cocoon.   
As soon as the Wing Zero glided out of the shell of the shuttle, sirens rang.  
They were onto him!  
Three preventor Cruisers were closing on his aft.  
Wing Zero turned and fled.  
The hangers to the Preventor craft opened-*  
  
The whoosh of the door was heard as Heero stumbled into the Medical ward.   
Seated on the examination table was Meia.  
She looked at him as he entered.  
After a moment of silence, Heero collected his mind and spoke, "Why are you here?"  
"Checkup." She answered and nodded at him, "Your arm?"  
"Yeah." He said and sat next to her to examine it, "It's not serious, but perhaps you people have something that can cure it."  
Meia examined the arm and nodded, "You'll live."  
Heero looked at the arm, "I thought as much. It's not bad enough that-"  
He stopped and then noticed her eye.  
"What's this?"  
He reached out to touch it but she shied away, pulling her head back to avoid him. Heero hovered his hand in place, waiting for an explanation.  
Having none, he tried again as her face seemed to slightly distort itself.  
He made contact with the smooth metal...almost feeling like a velvet as he rubbed his fingers along it.  
She shuddered under his touch and he withdrew, "Is there a problem?"  
"N...No..."  
He felt it again, "Why do you wear it?"  
She reached up with her own hands and removed it, clearing her face and looking thoughtfully at the metal rim that had sat around her face.   
Heero reflexively made a vocal observation; "You look better without it."  
She gasped and then relaxed, realizing that he didn't understand.  
"It was a gift from my Oma...the only gift." Said Meia as she rubbed the metal, "My Oma and I never got along well..."  
"Oma...mother...in German." Said Heero.  
"No, Our mother and Oma are two different people." Replied Meia and rubbed the diamond at the end, "This is the only thing that I have left of theirs...from that far back. I always keep it with me."  
Heero thought about mentioning why such a thing would be a big distraction but decided to try something else, "I never knew my parents."  
"Well of course for a....oh...." Meia said, understanding that this man was not a native of Taraaku.  
Heero looked off into the wall, "I had something that can be called a father. His name was Odin Lowe...an assassin who trained me to be the solider...man I am now." He sighed, looking human in his talk, "He is the furthest back I can remember in my training as a solider. He taught me marksmanship, Suit piloting, pit pocketing...everything I would need to survive."  
He shifted on the examination table and looked at the screen, "Whenever I think of a father I think of him. Sometimes....Sometimes I wonder..."  
Meia blinked as she listened. To her, this was one of the few instances when Heero would talk this much...but almost never this emotionally.   
He sighed to finish the conversation, but she asked, "So your name isn't Heero?"  
"No." Heero replied, "I have no real name. I have been called Heero Yuy the day operation Meteor began and my first descent to Earth occurred. Ever since then, I have used it as my primary name, but nothing more."  
"Heero seems a fine enough name." She said.  
Heero turned to look at her, experiencing for the first time compassion from Meia.  
"Yours suits you as well." He replied and reached out to take the metal rim from her.  
Instead of examining it he set it aside and looked at her face, "You do look better without it."  
She started to turn away but he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Perhaps you should let the past take it's rest."  
She looked at him and asked, "What about you?"  
Heero withdrew his hand slowly and looked back into space, "No...My past has come to kill me."  
Then the doctor entered, "Am I interrupting anything?"  
Meia hastily replaced her head ornament, "No...no you aren't."  
Heero blinked as he continued to stare at Meia.  
  
Heero was leaning on the wall of a walkway in wait.  
A door opened next to him and out came the glasses-white Parfet.  
"Excuse me."  
"Huh? Oh..." Smiled Parfet, "What can I do for you Heero?"  
"May I ask, is Hibiki's unit standard?"  
"What? You mean his Vanguard? No...it's not..." Hibiki adjusted her glasses, "Why?"  
"Did he do the modifications himself?"  
"Well no..."  
"Then how?" Asked Heero.  
"Um..." Parfet hesitated, "Well, I have to show you something first."  
  
"This is the Praxis." Said Parfet and indicated the huge globe.  
Heero peered out the viewing window at the solid, glowing sphere, "What is it?"  
"Our reactor." She answered, "At least that's what I think...this thing had some sort of reaction and caused a lot of changes around here...it created the Nirvana and modified the Dreads and Hibiki's Van."  
"I see..."  
"Will that be all?"  
Heero paused for a moment as he looked at the Praxis then asked, "Is there any way to cause another reaction?"  
"What? You got to be kidding!" Yipped Parfet, "When that thing explodes it's dangerous!"  
"...I just need it to modify my Wing Zero."  
"Aren't you satisfied the way it is?"  
Heero looked at Parfet, "If their units can be modified, perhaps mine can be as well. I need to be prepared to fight any of the other Gundams if they arrive...and if they do I want to have my unit ready in the highest possible condition."  
"Well I'll see what I can do..." Said Parfet and adjusted her glasses before she left the room.  
Heero looked back and stared at the humming Praxis.  
The sphere of energy seemed to react to his stares at looking at it.  
  
*Bullets  
Heero weaved around them and feinted as three fighters raced past. His Gundam turned one of the beam cannon halves to open fire on them.  
They burst and exploded, but clearing through that explosion were a group of Preventor ships- at the head of them was the Space Battleship Argo.  
Heero knew the capabilities of the Argo and knew his Gundam was at equal odds with the monstrosity.  
It opened fire with it's beam cannons, targeting the smaller Wing Zero in the process.  
Heero dodged the shot and re-connected the beam cannons to prepare to fire.  
The red lock-on light hit and he fired in the name of the colonies.  
The beam passed straight down the center of the Space Battleship and the ship listed as explosions rippled along the side.  
Heero flew closer to engage the other cruisers, but as he closed the distance something was wrong.  
The Battleship seemed to contort itself in space, turning into a swirl.  
Then the ship imploded, the Minovsky reactor self-annihilating itself in a wash of minovsky particles.  
Heero's Screens burst into static as Wing Zero fell for the blue hole in space and time-*  
The Praxis reactor continued to wink at him.  
  
Almost an hour later Heero walked into the galley and spotted Dita and Hibiki at their normal table.  
He picked up what seemed to be an interesting dinner and approached them.  
He stopped and looked over at Meia, eating by herself.  
Heero decided to try something new and joined her for Dinner, "Is this seat taken?"  
"Huh, no." She replied as Heero took a seat across from her. After a moment she asked, "Why are you doing this?"  
"Doing what?"  
"Eating here. Why aren't you with Hibiki?"  
Heero didn't have an immediate answer, but replied, "I thought you needed some company." He looked up at her, "Should I go?"  
"No..." She said in almost a sigh.  
Heero started to eat and after a moment's hesitation so did Meia.  
Then Heero stopped and looked under the table, "Are you done?"  
"Hey!" Yipped Paiway as Heero dragged her from under the table, "What's the big idea!?"  
"Are you done spying?"  
"How dare you-"  
Heero clamped a hand over her mouth and spoke, "If you value your camera or your safety I suggest you do not spy on me. Otherwise, I will respond in kind. Understood?"  
Paiway nodded under Heero's mouth.  
"Good." Heero said as he released her, and allowed Paiway to hurry off.  
Meia spoke, "Interesting. That's the first time anyone has done anything about Paiway's spying."  
"If anyone is doing intelligence it will be me." Replied Heero as he re-started to eat.   
  
Another hour later Heero was to be found in the cockpit of Wing Zero.  
A component landed on the hull from the hatchway as Heero finished disconnecting the Zero system from the cockpit.  
  
Under the rectal, the Argo's rotating body was slowly turning in one instant.  
The next, the Nirvana hovered in place.  
At the time, he had no idea...  
  
As he grasped and tore out the black box known as the ZERO system, more thoughts came to his mind.  
  
In his Berserker state, he could see Meia trying to hold him down.  
His mind's eye portraying Heero as a red figure, eyes wild and wide open while Meia was doing her best to hold and restrict the wildman.  
  
"Never again." Heero said as he pulled the large black system out of the Wing Zero's cockpit.  
This was all he could do to uninstall the components of the ZERO system.  
Already he had surpassed it, as he found the system to be OFF during the battle with Wufei.  
Just as he finished packing the crate filled with ZERO components The door opened and in came Parfet.  
"Hi Heero!" She chimed, with an engineering team in behind her.  
"Parfet." Replied Heero as he stood on the chest, "Have you finished?"  
"Yup!" She replied as the team started working, opening up a junction and connecting some wires, "We'll have to do some hard-wireing though."  
"I'll help." Said Heero as he closed the box and carried it down.  
  
Moments later cables connected to the Wing Zero ran into the wall socket that Heero inevitably guessed linked up to the Praxis reactor.   
"Well, here goes." She said and waved at the team, which tried a device.  
Nothing.  
"Well Heero-"  
But then something happened.  
Crystals started to form.  
But not on the Wing Zero...on the armor.  
The armor itself was blistering and starting to take form and shape, re-forming into crystals.  
As if Wing Zero was becoming a shaped Praxis Crystal.  
"Aie!! Shut it-"  
"No wait..." Said Heero as he watched the transformation consume Wing Zero and the deck around it, "Let's see what happens."  
But then there was a loud thump on the hull.  
"Someone's outside..." Heero reasoned after a moment.  
The comm. Sounded, "All pilots! All pilots! To your stations! This is not a Drill!"  
Sirens rang and Heero rushed for the Crystal Wing Zero.  
"Wait! Heero!!" She cried, "We don't even know what's-"  
"Just get out of here!" Cried Heero as he opened up the crystal hatchway to the Wing Zero and climbed inside.  
  
"What's going on?" BC asked, just out of the hospital and back on deck.  
Magano said in a deep voice, "Another Gundam. Different from the last one."  
The image showed a dark form standing on the back of the Nirvana, waiting.  
  
"It's not perfect, but it will have to do." Said Heero as not all the lights came on...some of them winking out and coming back on.  
All the controls were cold to the touch too, and he couldn't see-  
"Heero, are you ready?"  
Heero got the crystal Gundam up to a stand and replied, "Yes."  
"Opening cargo doors!"  
The doors to the platform rang and sounded before the door itself cracked open.  
The Gundam, Dreads, and Van type raced out into space.  
  
As Heero came around he saw the Gundam.  
It was a dark blue form standing on the hull, with it's guns deployed.   
The Gundam Heavyarms was standing on the back of the hanger and watching him. Several modifications changed the overall design from when he last saw it- notably where the Gattling pods had two barrels they now owned three. A large heat knife also rested on the right wrist.  
Heero hovered in space while the Dreads took formation behind him.  
"Shesh, who is this guy?" Asked Hibiki as he hovered beside Dread Dita.  
Jura replied, "Whoever he is, he's sure ugly..."  
"Trowa?" Heero asked.  
"Hello Heero." Sighed Trowa, "Wufei told me you would be around here somewhere. I didn't expect you to have a Crystal Gundam and have friends with you."  
"Wufei..." Grumbled Heero and asked, "How did you follow me here and why did you come?"  
The Heavyarms lowered the cannons, "We re-created the accident that brought you here so we could follow you. We all have orders to take you down."  
"Take me down?" Heero asked, "What do you mean?"  
"...Orders to kill you."  
"Why?" Heero asked.  
Trowa responded, "Many reasons. Wufei because you are a threat to the Preventors. Duo because he's tired of your dominance of the five. Quarte's reason seems to be because you are a threat to his colonies...no matter how insignificant."  
"Why did you come then?" Asked Heero.  
"To support my friends." Answered Trowa, "Besides, I had to come. If we went, we had to go together. And I came to warn you about the danger."  
"Why?"  
"Because you are my friend Heero; it's the least I could do."  
Heero accepted this. He knew, as the other pilots did, that Trowa was a man of his word...and honor.  
"What about Relena?" Heero asked, "Did she authorize this?"  
Either Trowa deliberately ignored it or he was running out of time, "They all have orders to kill or disable you before they return home. Because of this, we're all trapped until we kill you."  
"Or I destroy you all."  
There was a pause from the other side, "Something like that."  
Heero sighed as he leaned back in his chair, a praxis crystal pokeing him in the back.  
"I came to try to bring you back."  
"Wha?"  
Trowa moved one of the gattling pods and clamped it to the back of the Heavyarms advance, "My goal was to see if I could bring you back alive. If I can accomplish this, I won't have to kill you."  
Heero considered this.  
"But Mr. Gundam can't go!" Whined Dita, "I mean, it's boring without him and Mr. Alien here and fighting!"  
"Hey!" Hibiki cried.  
Meia spoke, "He's an asset we cannot part with unless we want consequences."  
"Is this how you feel Heero?" Trowa asked.  
Heero took a moment.  
He realized that he didn't want to leave.  
The reason, his senses told him, was hovering right behind him in the winged, white Dread.  
"Trowa, I'm staying." Heero replied, "I don't want to leave."  
"A shame." Trowa spoke as he grasped the gattling pod and swung it back into place, "Just so you know, it was Relena who wanted to bring you back alive. The others decided to kill you off when they arrived. I hope you are wearing a space suit."  
"I am not leaving."  
There was a silence.  
"I'm sorry Heero."  
Gattling fire ripped form the barrels.  
Dreads scattered...but Heero's remained.  
"Heero!" Cried Meia.  
The Gundam had frozen it's location and was taking the shots.  
Crystal fragmented and broke, but also re-crystalized itself as it started to glow.  
  
-A white expanse.  
Heero looked up to see a flying bird overhead, twist, and come down.  
From it came a Gundam-  
  
Heero's vision ended as the arm exploded in a fury of crystal as a new arm remained. Two sharp edges had come out, shining golden against the white arm. A pallet extended above the forearm.  
The other arm broke as well, shattering into something similar.  
A foot exploded, looking much like the origional wing Zero as both legs freed themselves.  
The Beam cannon's nose cracked and blew up, as well as the top as the elongaded Beam cannon materialized. Shoulders exploded, as did the wings- a shield appearing from the destruction.  
Then the head blew away, showing off a new head as the Wing Gundam was reborn.  
The Torso exploded away, revealing a sunken torso crystal in the blue armor. Vents opened and expelled Praxis crystal from the cockpit area as Heero drained from his dream and into the cockpit of Wing Gundam.  
The New Wing Gundam turned to clamp the shield onto it's left arm and swing it around to block and reflect the bullet fire.  
Trowa, in his cockpit, spoke, "Impressive."  
The Wing Gundam opened it's multi-colored tile wings and blew up and away into space, twirling around as it did so.  
Wing Gundam was alive once again as a phoenix.  
And just as dangerous.  
"Hey, you okay in there?" Asked Hibiki.  
"Never been better." Said Heero In the illuminated linear cockpit as he tapped some keys, "Dreads Jura and Meia form up on me. Hibiki, you do what you want with Dita."  
Heavyarms opened fire.  
"Scatter."  
The Gundam and fighters scattered every which way as bullet fire crisscrossed space.  
"Heero, bank right and swung in. I'm going in to strafe him." Notified Meia.  
Heero did so and Heavyarms turned to fire at him.  
Dreads Dita and Jura flew in and opened fire, catching the Heavyarms in a crossfire.  
But it's hatches swung open.  
"Lookout!!" Heero cried.  
Missiles sprayed out from the Heavyarms and corkscrewed through space as over one hundred and eighty homing missiles took targets and flew towards them.  
Heero flipped open the Gattling chest guns and they rotated in a buzz.  
One hit annihilated a cluster and he turned to line up the Beam cannon.  
The new Praxis computer gave him an OK target and he fired.  
The beam phased through the space and took out many missiles that had been homing in on one Dread.  
Meia.  
Heero turned back and aimed at Heavyarms, which had locked one of the pods onto it's back and charging with the heat knife red hot.  
Heero dodged three of the slashes before ramming his shield into the front of Heavyarms.  
Trowa replied by firing the head gattlings at him.  
Heero turned and avoided having the camera eyes shattered.  
Vandread Dita approached rapidly and had it's guns locked on.  
Trowa spun and hit the engines to fly up and away from the battle as both energy spheres flew through his previous location.   
As it flew away, Heavyarms turned to glance at the new Wing Gundam as Heero looked back at the fleeing Mobile suit that Heero once called friend.  
Once the heavyarms was only a dot in the distance, Heero asked, "Is everyone all right?"  
"I'm Okay." Nodded Meia, "Thanks."  
Heero nodded, "Jura, are you and yours okay?"  
"All Dreads are okay!" Barnette responded coolly.  
Hibiki grumbled, "We're good."  
"Good. Let's get in." Nodded Heero.  
He swung his Gundam around and headed for the willing platform.   
  
------------------------   
It seemed to strike me that out of all the pilots Trowa would at least still be Heero's friend no matter what happened.   
  
Anyhow, beware of next fic! 


	7. ch7: Death's hand

Ch7   
Death's hand  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam belong to me.  
  
----------------------   
  
Heero was looking at Magano.  
"So your friends have definitely come to kill you then." Said Magano.  
Present in the briefing room was also the other Dread pilots, BC, and Parfet.  
"Apparently." Replied Heero, "They are also very dangerous."  
"I can see that." Spoke Magano, "But my question is, can we defeat them?"  
"It may not be easy..." Said Heero, "The five of us were trained as elite soldiers. I doubt they could make any sort of mistakes that you may be used to."  
"Hey, we can handle 'em!" Boasted Hibiki, "We just need ta combine and-"  
"And get destroyed together?" Asked Heero and looked at Hibiki.  
"You said only earlier you could estimate their combat strength." Said BC.  
"They have modified their suits." Replied Heero, "Now I'm not certain what their combat possibilities are."  
"Well," Said Magano, "At least you know who's piloting those suits. Meaning you could predict their moves?"  
"I can try."  
"Good. Work with Parfet to program them into the simulators."  
Heero nodded and stood to walk out with Parfet.  
Magano turned to Meia, "Meia, I want you and the dread pilots working in the simulators to train against this new foe."  
"Yes ma'am." Saluted Meia and left the room with the other Dread pilots.  
  
In the simulator program room Heero was busy with Parfet.  
Parfet, bored with the silence, tried to start a conversation, "So Heero, what's Earth like?"  
"Earth?" Asked Heero.  
"That's where you come from right?"  
"I suppose. I don't know where I was born." Replied Heero and went on, "As for Earth...it's Green...with big oceans of blue."  
"Is it like Mejeiru?"   
"Where?"  
"My home planet...I guess you've never seen it." Replied Parfet.  
"No." Answered Heero and started programming in the geometry of Sandrock, "But I wonder if it's the same."  
"Well Taraaku, the men's planet, is all rusty and brown...It's heavily industrialized or so the Doc told me."  
"Hn.." Answered Heero, "Earth isn't that bad yet. We stopped industrializing after we constructed space colonies."  
"So," Asked Parfet, "Do you have...women back in your world?"  
"Yes..." Said Heero after a moment, "Men and women co-exist in society, if that's what you mean."  
"Yes..." Replied Parfet, "What's the word, marriage?"  
"Yeah." Said Heero as he finished with Sandrock's geometry and colors, "I'm downloading Sandrock. That should be the last of them."  
Parfet nodded, "Got it."  
"Should I construct a Leo?"  
"A what?"  
"...Never mind." Said Heero and relaxed.  
Parfet smiled as she continued typing and asked, "I don't suppose...do you have someone back where you live?"  
"Have...someone?" Heero Repeated.   
"I dunno...a spouse?" She asked.  
Heero went very quiet for a moment.  
"Something...oh..."  
"Yes...I did." Replied Heero and looked at her, "But since I'm here with no chance of return I guess I'll never see her again."  
"How sad..." She said as she turned around in her chair to face Heero, "I'm sorry to hear that."  
"Well." Said Heero as he returned to typing, "I'm getting over it."  
"You don't just get over a relationship..." Said Parfet.  
"And you would know?" Asked Heero without looking at her.  
Parfait's turn to be quiet was then before she spoke, "How do you mean getting over it?"  
"I'm looking for someplace else to call home...I guess here. And I'm looking for someone else....to relate too...."  
Parfet had a good Idea what Heero meant when he said 'relate too.'  
"So you've got a crush on Meia huh?"  
Heero stopped typing.  
"Huh. Well that's odd." She said and turned around to resume typing, "Well I guess it's only one way, I mean how can a woman ever love a man?"  
"Very, very easily." Replied Heero without pause.  
  
Later Heero was in the simulators finishing another round of combat simulations.  
The cockpit opened and Dureo was standing next to the opening hatch.  
"Break time." He said.  
Heero then left the simulator rooms and headed to the galley for some lunch.  
Once there, he found a spot beside Meia, "May I-?"  
She nodded as he took his seat and she asked, "So tell me about the other models of Gundams your friends are piloting."  
"Each Gundam has it's own value of strength." Said Heero and went on, "Mine was an all-type use Mobile suit, hence the transformable one. The heavyarms is a long-range fire support Gundam with enhanced weaponry...namely in the area of it's gattling cannons. The Gundam Sandrock is very heavily armored and t's primary weapons are two large close-range blades. The last one, Gundam Deathscythe, can...."  
Heero turned around and looked out the window, "What are you-?"  
"I thought I saw something."  
Then a large, black form appeared with two green eyes.  
Heero's eyes widened, "EVERYBODY OUT!"  
  
"Ah!" Cried Bart as he scuttled right.  
The Nirvana suddenly jumped right as the Deathscythe cut through the space the Nirvana once was.  
Heero grabbed Meia, "MOVE!"  
Meia and Heero ran hard as they could.  
"You can let go!" Meia called to Heero halfway and Heero released her and continued to run.  
Heero landed in the Wing Gundam and powered it up as the door closed, "This is Wing Gundam, ready for launch."  
"Roger that!" Cried a female voice as the doors started opening.   
Heero checked the beam rifle and shield before jumping and spinning the Gundam. Rifle clamped to Shield and Shield connected to the back of the torso as the head rotated around and the feet folded.  
Heero spread the wings and went full-throttle.  
The Wing Gundam blasted forward out of the hanger doors-  
-And through bullet fire.  
Heero expected as much as he had a lock-on.  
He rotated and transformed to witness a Shield arm fly past him and into deep space.  
"Hiya buddy!"  
A dark form rammed into the Wing Gundam and started beating it, "Been Long time no see!"  
"Get off me you-"  
Heero managed to free a leg and rammed it into the bottom of the Deathscythe's head.  
It nearly came off and the Deathscythe was forced to let go.  
Heero cleared and thrusted away.  
The lock still remained and he had to dodge the shield as it flew around.  
Heero eliminated the nuisance with a rapid succession of gattling fire.  
But Duo wasn't done, "Well Heero-"  
The Deathscythe's scythe top unfolded to flash out another red blade, "I'm not done. I've come to get yer soul!"  
Then the Deathscythe rushed forward with unparalleled   
Dread Jura flashed it and rammed the Deathscythe.  
"Hey!" Cried Duo, "That was drama!"  
Jura cried, "Ugh! It's black!"  
The Deathscythe shoved itself off the Dread and tried to slice it in half, but a quick spin from the Dread sent the Gundam tumbling.  
Four other Dreads locked on and fired the short pulse missiles, catching Duo in a crossfire. He curled up to reduce the damage, but as he uncurled himself a warning tone sounded.  
"Damnit-"  
He dodged out of the way of Heero's now-firing Particle cannon.  
The Deathscythe hovered for a moment before Vandread Dita closed in.  
"Hehe...you're toast now!" Exclaimed Hibiki as he swung one of the weapons pods-  
"Wait-"  
That Deathscythe disappeared.  
"What the-"  
"BEHIND!" Cried Heero.  
The Gundam appeared and slashed the back of the Vandread, Explosions rippled along the back as the second strike hammered it.  
"Hehe...not so high and mighty anymore aren't we?" Laughed Duo.  
"Duo STOP!"  
Wing Gundam, in fighter mode, rammed the Dark Gundam and Duo was once again tumbling.  
"Shesh, an't fool you can I?" Asked Duo as he righted himself and disappeared.  
"Huh? Where'd he go?" Asked Jura.  
Heero ordered, "Everyone keep moving! If you standstill or stay on a same vector he'll be on you before you know it. Hibiki, Dita, what about you guys?"  
"We need help!" Cried Dita, "Mr. Aliens asleep!"  
Heero nodded and looked at the situation as he transformed his Gundam and hung in space, "All right Duo, where are you?"  
"Hehe...I'll bet you'd like to know wouldn't you?"  
The Deathscythe de-phased over Meia and tried to slash her.  
Heero moved quickly, guns sparkling as he struck Deathscythe several times.  
The Deathscythe vanished again, "Hey, is it me or is there something special about the Dragonfly? I wonder..."  
"Don't touch her Duo."  
"Possessive aren't we?"  
Duo laughed and Heero ignored it as he glanced over at Vandread Dita.  
The Vandread had deep scars along it's back, with one weapon pod still clamped to the right arm and the other one flickering on and off. The Vandread wasn't...  
But....  
"Hey Meia,"  
"What?"  
Heero started tapping his controls, "I have an idea. How do you make Vandreads?"  
"usually by allowing the Van type to dock with one of the Dreads...are you suggesting we combine?"  
"...Yeah."  
"Heero, your Gundam bigger than Hibiki's Van."  
"I'm still willing to give it a shot," Replied Heero as he closed in on Meia, "Ready?"  
"Heero, what's going on out there? Heero?" BC was asking.  
But then both combined.  
Heero's Gundam slipped into the compartment for Hibiki's Van, a little big but working.  
The Wings folded down and across, as the nose of the fighter collapsed forward and down parallel to the body.  
The head and torso rotated up, and the head angled itself down to give the 'cap' move view towards the head. The two appendages that were usually the legs to Vandread Meia now became the arms.  
As the mecha settled in it's new position, Heero discovered himself in Meia's lap.  
There was a moment of silence.  
"...Hello."  
"We seem to be stuck in this interesting position..." Blinked Meia.  
After a second both shrugged and clasped their arms about the controls.  
  
"What's that!?" Asked Jura In amazement, "Come to think of it...it looks cool!"  
Barnette asked, "A Gundam combining with a Dread!? Great, what will they think of next!?"  
On the Nirvana, the crew also saw it.  
"Well..." The Commander hummed, "It looks like that boy has more surprises then we initially thought."  
"A...Gun-Dread?" Voiced BC, "It will be interesting to see how these two fight..."  
  
Gundread Meia turned and started thrusting forward.  
"We're not as near fast as the Vandread version," Voiced Meia as she tapped some controls, "But it looks like we have enough power...your Gundam's reactor seems to have a good enough output rating."  
"Whatever." Said Heero and attuned the sensors, "We have to find Duo."  
A lens in the cockpit moved over space before a pink outline of the Gundam was found headed for Vandread Dita.  
Heero found some interesting controls and tapped them.  
The arms of the Gundread rose and shot out on tethers.  
They hit the Gundam and Duo De-phased.   
"Hey, what the-?"  
"I like this..." Muttered Heero.  
He turned, swinging Deathscythe with it.  
The Dreads took up formation and started opening fire.  
Duo yelped in pain as his Gundam became the center of a turkey shoot, "Hey! You're Cheating!"  
"No," Smiled Meia, "This is."  
The missile payload bays on the Gundread opened to expose racks of Micro-missiles. In an explosive wave they all left and corkscrewed for the Gundam.  
"He-NOOO!!!"  
Explosions pushed Deathscythe out of the grip of Gundread Meia.  
Duo twirled in space before hitting his engines and running.  
"Hehe..." Laughed Heero, "Didn't think you could Duo."  
Meia's hands came up his own and around his neck in a hug.  
"?"  
"Thanks for bailing me out."  
"You're welcome..." He added a bit softer.  
The Dreads formed up around the Gundread as it approached Vandread Dita.  
"Aww man!" Cursed Hibiki, "I get KO'ed and HE gets all the fun!"  
Dita snickered but then the Vandread shuttered.  
"Hey! What's the big deal!?!?" Demanded Hibiki.  
"Do you guys want to get back to the Nirvana or shall we leave you two alone?" Heero asked.  
"Well I...uh....Hey SHUTUP!!!"  
Heero laughed as he closed the transmission and thrusted the Gundread back to the hanger, with the damaged Vandread in tow.  
  
-----------------------------   
Well that's Duo. It seems that the pilots became insane one way or another as they traversed universes...  
  
...Well, except Trowa.  
  
An interesting thing to know is that on a normal Google search Gundread made the fourth selection. There are two other 'Gundread' fics out there somewhere...  
  
Meh. But this is MY fic! Onto the next chapter! 


	8. Ch8: Vs the King of sand

Ch8  
Vs. The King of sand  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam Belong to me. I wish they did, because then I could have a versus game like Smash bros!  
  
----------------------   
Back onboard the Nirvana Heero flexed his hand after the checkup.  
Dureo looked the young man's physical results over and declared, "Well if you were a native of Taraaku you would be perfectly healthy."  
"Thank you Doctor." Said Heero as he stood off the bed and continued to flex the arm the doctor took the blood sample from.  
He walked for the door but it opened already to admit Parfet.  
"Hey Heero."  
"Hi." Heero simply answered as he left sickbay and walked down the corridor.  
He stopped.  
He was not alone in this section of the corridor.  
"Who's there?" He declared.  
"Just little old me..." Said Jura as she rounded a corner.  
"What do you want?" Heero asked, still holding the palm of his hand.  
"Oh nothing, just a simple little request of mine..." She said.  
Heero started walking, "I don't want anything to-"  
She stepped in his way, "Ah ah...hear me out first."  
"I'm not interested."  
"You will be if you hear what I have to say." She answered and went on, "Well, how about next battle you and I combine."  
Heero's stare turned into a glare, "I'm only combining with Meia."  
"Oh?" Asked Jura as Heero walked past her, "What about Dita?"  
"Dita's too hung up on Hibiki for me to do anything about it." Replied Heero as he kept walking away, "Why don't you ask Bart to combine with you?"  
Jura hit the floor in embarrassment.  
"Uh, Jura, are you okay?" Asked Barnette.  
"No...Jura's not okay..." Replied Jura  
  
Heero walked to his room and hit the access door.  
It swung open to reveal Meia standing there.  
"Meia..."  
She turned to look at him and said, "You're here."  
"What can I do for you?" He asked as he came in with the door closing behind him.  
Meia paused a beat before answering, "I want to thank you...from all of us, the Dread team...for what you've done to help."  
"...It's not-"  
"My team thinks so." Said Meia, "We all do. We really appreciate what you've done Heero..."  
"...No thanks Necessary." He replied as he walked across the room to his computer, "I've decided to stay anyway."  
"What?"  
"This is the only place I can call home now." Said Heero, "There's no chance of me returning to where I came from. There's just simply no way I could possibly lead anything close to a normal life now...without wanting to come here."  
"...I'm glad to hear that..."  
Heero turned his gaze to look up at her, and she was blushing.  
"Oh...Sorry..." She replied as she turned, "I should go-"  
"Wait."  
She turned halfway out the door to look back at him.  
Heero turned in his seat and asked, "Would you mind if we went someplace special for dinner tonight?"  
"Um..." she blushed.  
"My treat." Replied Heero, "I feel I owe it to you."  
Meia had her mouth open but closed it and nodded slowly.  
Heero nodded back, "Good. Tonight then, normal time...we'll leave from the galley."  
"...I'd like that."  
"Tonight then."  
"Tonight." She replied and left.  
Heero looked back at his computer screen and started typing.  
Then he stopped.  
He asked himself, "Since when do I ask girls out on dates?"  
There was a beat of silence.  
"...Must be the environment...but is it really all that bad?"  
Another beat of thought.  
"...Fascinating."  
  
Behind the Nirvana and slowly following the winking pulse engine were a number of objects.  
These were significantly different from the Fleets that had the intention of harvesting the Nirvana, in fact only one of them was human piloted.  
The dull brown machines hung around their master- shadows of what they once were as they surrounded their master with the tattered brown cloth and tired eyes.  
Those eyes flashed Yellow as they found their target.  
  
Heero hauled himself out of the hole in the deck plating and landed a very large wrench on the floor of a service corridor.  
Crouched beside the hole and working a computer terminal was Parfet.  
"I've replaced the piping and re-turned the local systems manager." Said Heero as he stood and wiped his hands of grease, "It should work now."  
"Thanks for the Help Heero." Piped a happy Parfet Before turning back to her work at the small computer.  
As Heero continued to wipe his hands of grease in the small corridor he was turned away from Parfet. This is when he asked, "Parfet...I was thinking about our conversation earlier."  
"Oh?" She asked, half her attention on the computer before her.  
"Do you have a spouse?"  
She stopped dead in her typing.  
"What do you mean?" She answered, also turning to look at Heero.  
"I was just curious." Replied Heero, "Now that I think about it you seemed to be stopping in around Sickbay more often than not..."  
"Is that a problem? The Doc needs help managing his machine-"  
"He seems to have a fondness for you too." Replied Heero and disreguarding her comment, "He doesn't show it openly, but I think he enjoys your company."  
"Really?" She replied.  
Heero answered, "Yes."  
"Wow..." She sighed, "I never thought...I mean it was almost impossible..."  
Heero raised an eyebrow, half turning his head to look at her.  
"That's the same way I feel about him..." She said in a half-dreamy state.  
Heero looked back at his hands as he finished cleaning them before dropped the rag on the floor, and saying, "I'll leave you to your fantasies."  
"Huh? Oh, Work..." She rambled and a storm of typing was heard.  
Heero stopped on his way out and said, "By the way, if I were you I would think about getting to know Dureo. If you really enjoy his presence, maybe you should upgrade your relationship to something more...permanent."   
"How would you know?" She asked and turned her glasses to look at him, "Are you some expert at romance or something?"  
"No..." Answered Heero and sighed, "But that's what I should have done...a lifetime ago..."  
And Heero left without giving any more explanation to a passionate Parfet.  
  
Heero walked out into the corridor and witnessed a blur.  
After a pause he said one word, "Hibiki."  
He turned his head right and sure enough Dita was charging down the corridor after him.  
"Wait Mr. Alien come back!" She yipped, flailing a pair of boxers, "You haven't told me what these things are yet! Hey! I'm talking to you!..."  
Heero watched them go.  
Then he said to himself, "Perhaps we should have a traffic monitor..."  
And he continued going his way to find the galley.  
  
He found it strange to have Meia missing.  
He waited ten minutes and decided to eat his lunch without her.  
His now-emerging emotions found it disappointing to have her missing, but he could catch up with her later. And besides, there was always that dinner...  
"Would Heero Yuy please report to the command deck?" Came a voice.  
Heero looked up, down at his lunch, and disposed of it before leaving.  
  
Once on the Command Bridge he walked up to the old woman at the center.  
"You called?"  
"Yes." Replied Magano and nodded at the screen.  
Heero looked up at the large display screen showing aft.  
"...What am I supposed to be seeing?"  
BC nodded, "Enhance the image."  
The screen became bigger, showing the dark patches in the stars.  
"Now can you see them?"  
"You just noticed them?" Asked Heero as he turned to look at the monitor better.  
"Yes. They came into our radar about a half-hour ago." Recited BC, "We don't know who they are but we think they may be friends of yours."  
"I think so." Said Heero as he looked from BC to the screen, "There is one other pilot I have not fought yet."  
"And by any chance could you tell us his name?" Magano asked.  
Heero voiced the name, "Quarte Raberba Winner. And those escorts of his are probably the Maganak Core suits."  
"Dangerous?" BC asked.  
"Considerably. His Gundam is the most heavily armed of our five, and he is a monster at close combat. I don't suppose the Nirvana has any operational point-defense weaponry." Heero answered and looked to the Commander.  
"We're still trying to work the bugs out." Said BC, "We're still relying on the Dreads and yours and Hibiki's Mecha."  
"Hn..." Said Heero and looked back at the screen to examine the shapes, "Why call me up and not go to a general alert?"  
"We felt that you should ascertain this threat." Rasped Magano, "Before we charge in or try anything rash. They were your friends after all."  
Heero looked back up at the shadows from Magano's face, "They were... A lifetime ago."  
  
Heero headed down to the Mecha hanger to do some maintenance on the Gundam in preporation for the upcoming battle.  
The Wing Gundam had it's ammunition storage bays open and the bays were being filled as he worked. Surprisingly enough the remaining ammunition from the Taraaku conversion of the old colony ship was still present and unaltered by the Praxis.  
But it seemed obvious the core or whatever sentient device knew of it's existance, otherwise Heero's Gundam wouldn't be compatable with it.  
Nevetheless, Heero was in the cockpit typing on the systems.  
Over half the mainframe had updated itself, and practically everything was new. The controls were adaptable and adjustable, also looking like a cross between his old cocpit and the streamlined cockpits of the Dreads and what Van type cockpits he managed to see.  
He played around with one of the joysticks, moving it parallel then perpendicular to the rest of the control panel and then changing the options with the finger keys. He also looked around and found that the seat could recline to elevate the feet and give a better tactical advantage in the field.  
It would help in the event that he wanted to snipe with the new Variable speed beam rifle, so he could change it from the ultra-destructive conical beam to a pencil-thin energy beam that was fast in speed and could possibly penetrate any known armor or defense screen.  
None of Dr. J's work could ever compare to the modifciations the Praxis prerformed on this suit.  
He was glad too, another tie to break from his past life...  
Heero was also pleased to have the Zero system removed. In his battle with Duo it seemed better to not have the headache that usually came with keeping Zero under control. The Praxis fragments within the Wing's internal skelliton seemed to have acted as a fast-reaction system instead...  
"Heero?"  
Heero looked up and walked out of the cockpit.  
The Wing Gundam had been given an empty alcove next to Hibiki's Van. It was just barely fitting within the alcove, and it was a good thing too. Heero was a little tired of either seating or lying down the Wing....  
He walked out of the cockpit and onto the walkway and looked down.  
Meia was standing in a dress.  
"Meia...What?...Why?"  
Meia blushed as she looked at the ground, "...I thought it would be appropreate for tonight...I wanted to know your opinion..."  
Not only was she without the jumpsuit and in this white dress, but she was also missing the head ornament. Good advice...  
"Where did you find that?"  
She blushed again, "Well...it was in the older parts of the ship...nobody's been in there ever since the colonization era and well...I wanted to see if some of the rumors were true..."  
Heero hopped down off the catwalk and approached her. She looked up into his face as he looked her over, "Well...it is...different..."  
She swallowed a nervous gulp. At the back of her mind she found this strange, as she was never this nervous before...expecially around men...  
But Heero was an acception.  
His hand came around her face and tilited it up back to his.  
"You look marvelous." He replied and smirked, "Now I have to find a tuxedo someplace."  
"Tux-e-do?"  
He gave a muffled laugh with a softened face and said, "It's what men wear for special occasions. Women wear a dress like this one."  
"...Really? Oh..." She said and examined the fabric, "I just thought it looked nice that's all....I mean, I can change if you-"  
He stopped her with a finger and replied, "You look marvelous."  
Just then Dita bounced in, "Mr. Alie-"  
Both occupants of the room turned to look wide-eyed at Dita.  
She blinked back and then smiled, "Oh Hi you two...But Dita," She opened her eyes and pointed, "Why are you wearing that?"  
Both people were blushing and looked into one another's eyes.  
"Hn...maybe if I wore a frilly dress Mr. Alien would want to touch me too! Good idea Meia! See ya later!" She called as she left the room.  
Both people were blushing.  
"........Um....."  
"...Yeah..."  
"...Are we still doing dinner?"  
"...How about I find something more casual?"  
"...Okay..."  
Heero guessed it was the first time that either of them had been emberassed, to it was natural...  
But then again when did he have these feelings?  
  
BC was the first to spot it.  
"Commander-"  
"I see it." Grumbled Magano, "Order all units to launch."  
BC shouted, "ALL UNITS SCRAMBLE!!"  
The shadows were moving closer.  
  
Heero's Gundam burst out into space and completed a roll.  
He was the first one out by the looks of things, and joining him from the lower hull were the other combat Dreads that assumed formation about him.  
The larger Dreads would be late, as the distant shadows were closing...  
Heero tried to remember the names of the pilots...  
"Barnette."  
"Yes?"  
"Take Group two and form up in a screen pattern around the Nirvana. You...er...Claudia."  
"Huh?" Asked the pilot of the light brown version of Dita's un-upgraded Dread.  
"Take formation around me and stay sharp and manuverable. Our enemy is likely to try and get in close before engadging us, so everyone be careful of the two large heat blades. This enemy also has a large shield and possibly a particle cannon. He also has at least two homing missiles, and heavy armor."  
"Understood." Replied Barnette, "Any weaknesses?"  
"Cumbersome and slow." Answered Heero as he locked onto the formation, "The Sandrock is a ground-designed combat suit. It may be modified for space, but don't take any chances....Aim for the head and cockpit, as well as the reactor. If you're lucky enough a critical hit will set off the reactor."  
"...But don't we want to drive them away?"  
Heero took a moment, "No. Killing them also completes our objective."  
The timer ran down to seconds.  
Heero reclined his seat as the visor came down to correct his vision.  
Somewhere beyond his elevated feet, the long beam rifle was taking aim...  
The tone grew until it was a solid whine.  
The Particle shot let loose and the pencil-thin beam lanced from the cannon.  
One of the escorting suits moved into the path as the central suit dodged, and the sacraficial suit exploded on it's own.  
"No good." Said Heero as he returned to normal cockpit settings, "All Dreads engadge at will!"  
Barnette's team remained close to the Nirvana while the other Dreads not assigned and Heero's escort blasted into motion.  
The new Maganak suits were bulkier than before, with almost non-existant grubby arms clutching the long beam rifles with their fat red scopes aside the tops of their heads. Grubby feet hung from their squat torsos, at the backs were large booster packs.  
Heero dove into them with beam saber and Shield, ramming one of them and then spearing it in the head.  
Amazingly the fighter continued to Shoot until Heero sliced it in half and it exploded.  
He started moving and fired at another one with the machine guns.   
Two moved in and fired their automatic beam cannons.  
Heero weaved left and right before the two exploded and a Dread flew by.  
Heero saluted and watched the Dread fly until it was kicked by the Sandrock.  
"It's him." Grumbled Heero as he turned to face the thing.  
It thrusted into place in front of him with both blades, the arms coming through the thermal cloth as it looked the new Gundam over.  
"Heero Yuy." Announced the voice of an older Quarte Winner, "On behalf of the United Earthsphere Alliance, I charge you with the possession of Mobile suits and conduct against the state. What is your plea?"  
"Quarte come to your senses there is no trial!" Replied Heero as he primed his guns, "And I am not on charge!"  
The Sandrock swung, missing Heero as he hopped up and away from the battle with guns chattering.  
Quarte came at him again, shooting off the pair of missiles.  
Heero spun and detonated them harmlessly from the beam blades in the wings before returning fire with the head guns, aiming for the eyes.  
The huge Shield of the sandrock moved to block the blows before heading at him.  
Heero flew out of the way and asked, "Meia, are you out here yet!?"  
"No! We're tied down!" Cried Meia as she rasped, "Those whatever they are have jammed the door shut! We can't get out!"  
"Well then who's in space already!?" Demanded Heero as he fired his guns again at the Sandrock as it and a pair of Magnanaks flew at him.  
Heero's three Dreads flew around in a triangular pattern and fired their plasma shots into the enemy formation.  
Two of the Maganak core died on the spot, when the Sandrock raised it's shield to block the opressive fire.  
"It's no good!" Cried Barnette, "They're too fast!"  
"Who's out here!?" Demanded Heero.  
"Mr. Gundam!" Cried Dita as her fighter rushed at him, "Let's combine and see what happens!"  
"What?"  
Dita's Dread approached and both Gundam and Dread flashed and flared. The Gundam flew down into the head socket where the Van would normaly go, and the Dread started to unfold.  
Much like Vandread Dita, the Gundread's arms beloned to the Vandread. The legs also unfolded, as did the stubby wings.  
However the large cannons took position on the shoulders of the Gundread, while the wings folded open and extended into a large pair of translucent energy wings.  
Heero also found Dita in his lap.  
"Wow...It's so COOL!!!" Yipped Dita.  
Heero was a little miffed Meia wasn't out here ot join him but he disreguarded it, "Okay, let's move."  
Gundread Dita moved at quick speed, the Dreads forming up around him as they opened fire into the formation of Gundams.  
"What?" Demanded Quarte as two more of his escorts died, "Terrorist! You've gotten MORE weapons!"  
"They are-" Demanded Heero as he pulled a beam saber from the shoulder and ignited it- "My FAMILY!!!"  
Quarte raised his legs as the large beam cut more escorts in half.  
This is when Heero noted, "They're mechanical...Mobile Dolls!"  
Then Quarte kicked the Gundread in the head and made Heero stagger and jet back as heat shortels cut through the space he occupied moments ago.  
"This isn't going to work...I can't lock onto him." Heero said.  
"Mr. Gundam what do we do!?"  
Heero looked at the instrument panel, "...Improvise."  
He tapped several keys.  
The two large weapons pods detatched themselves and started moving on their own- guided by Heero's thought.  
"Bits...okay," Smirked Heero, "Let's fight fire with fire."  
The two large weapons moved on their own as Heero found some support guns on the Dread itself and fired back with vulcan cannons.  
Sandrock jinxed in the fire until the drones opened fire with their own weapons, shooting large green beams into space as they made Quarte decide weather to keep his life or not.  
As the Sandrock and whatever remaining Mobile Dolls followed him, the pilot commed, "I once called you the heart of outer space..." Said Quarte.  
Heero hesitated before replying, "I still am... This is no place for you. You, and the others, leave this place before you are destroyed."  
"No Heero, we will destroy you." Said Quarte before shoving off and returning to the four remaining Maganaks.  
At the center with blades offered, he declared, "Epyon is still looking forward to finishing the fight, Heero."  
With that the Sandrock turned around and dissapeard.  
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief-except Heero.  
"Epyon..."  
Then he realized that this and the last battles were nowhere as difficult as facing the monster of all Gundams would be...  
...Gundam Epyon.  
  
---------------------   
Hi again!  
This battle, like the others was different from v.1, namely in the sense that I described the Maganak MDs...  
  
Perhaps someday if I get my own website I can actually post images of these crazy mecha that I keep mentioning.... *Shrugs*  
  
Anyway, NEXT CHAPTER, HO!!! 


	9. ch9: Prelude to the warfeild

Ch9  
Prelude to the Warfeild  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam Belong to me.  
---------------   
  
Heero slumped in the chair as he poured over the computer data from Wing Zero's computer systems.  
The scanner data was in front of him now and waving past his eyes as he scrolled down.  
The door opened to admit a woman, "You called?"  
Heero turned, "Yes...Parfet."  
Parfet walked over and looked at the computer screen in Heero's room, "This is all the combat data?"  
"Yeah. I thought I'd look over it and try to analyze a weakness. I was hoping to have a second opinion."  
"Well let me see." She responded and pulled up a chair to examine the specifications of the Heavyarms.   
The two sat idle for a moment looking over the sensor data from the battle.  
...And Parfet wanted to start a conversation, "Heero?"  
"Hn?"  
"I want to thank you for giving me advice earlier..."  
Heero tapped on some keys, "Did it help?"  
"Well I...had lunch with the Doc..."  
"I thought I saw you two together," Said Heero and then observed, "Heavyarms has no ammo...."  
"Yes well..." She said and blushed, "I just can't believe...I can't..."  
"It's normal to be nervous on a first date." Said Heero, "All girls are."  
"No..." She said, "I can't believe...I'm in love with him...a man at that!" She turned away in her chair, "I thought it was impossible..."  
Heero made a confused face when she wasn't looking, "And that's abnormal to you? On second thought, don't answer that."  
She sighed as Heero continued looking over the data.  
He finished Sandrock, "Well I don't think there appear to be any sort of weaknesses on these Mobile suits. They've been all worked out. It's lucky we managed to stop them at all."  
"Well," Asked Parfet, "Maybe we should upgrade some of our systems."  
"We've already upgraded all the Dreads and Hibiki's Van type." Said Heero as he turned around in his chair, "I'm not sure if we can upgrade them any further than they already are."  
"What about taking some of these weapons systems, like that active cloak?"  
"We don't have the schematics. Only ideas." Replied Heero, "No... Wait," He raised his head, "Doesn't the Nirvana have any weaponry?"  
"Not that we've been able to access." Said Parfet, "And we couldn't find any backup systems. I think there are what appear to be weapons aboard though..."  
"Let's start looking." Said Heero as he left his seat.  
  
Hours later Heero climbed down from a maintenance shaft.  
"Well?" She asked.  
"I could find what looks like a back-junction to what looks like an extensive particle generation field. I think it's networked through the entire ship." Heero finished as he came to the ground.  
Parfet answered, "We did have weapons in there at one time...but we can't use them anymore...or we haven't found the controls-"  
"They're stunned." Said Heero, "And they can probably be accessed through the commander's station on the bridge. Or Auxiliary control-"  
Then Hibiki ran up, huffing and puffing.  
"Hibiki, what's-"  
"Heero!" Replied the pilot, "Damnit get down to the launch bay!"  
"Why?"  
"Two of your friends have shown up!"  
"What?" Heero wasted no time in dropping everything and taking off.  
  
Heero made it to the Platform and skidded to a stop.  
Two large Mobile suits were standing there. One Red, one Blue.  
"Mercurious...and Vayate." He hissed.  
It looked like they got in somehow, probably from trailing Meia on patrol...  
In the hands of the Mercurious were two people, Dita and Meia.  
Jura was cowering in a corner with sheer panic on her face as she realized this was all true.  
Coming up in the bay were several women with weapons.  
BC included.  
But it was Heero who drew their attention, "Who's there!"  
"Well well," Said a sinister voice, "He finally showed up."  
"Dorothy."  
"Nice Timing Heero."  
"Sally...you too?" Heero asked.  
On chests of the Mobile suits were the preventors insignias.  
Of course, them too.  
"Release them." Commanded Heero, "They have no part in this."  
"Other than helping you defeat your friends." Replied the Sly voice from the Vayate.  
"They are not my freidns anymore." Replied Heero.  
"They'll be hurt to hear that." Replied the Mercurious, "And your friends will be too. Tell me Heero, which one do you value more?"  
"You Bastards!" Cried Hibiki, "Let her go!"  
"Ah so it looks like you have replacements," Said Dorothy, "So tell me, is his bark harder than his bite?"  
"Why you-"  
Heero held up a hand that stopped Hibiki, "Don't do anything irrational. They can crush you or Drop Dita."  
"Are you just gonna stand there and take it!?" Demanded Hibiki, "We have to save them NOW!"  
"We wait for the right moment." Said Heero and turned back to the large suits, "So Sally, when did the preventors start holding hostages?"  
"The day you left Heero." Replied Sally, "The day we decided to elliminate you from memory."  
"You're mad." Heero replied.  
"Well...yes." Said Sally as she dropped both.  
"NO!" Cried Heero and Hibiki as they ran for their partners.  
Sally laughed as they fell.  
Heero lept and reached out to catch Meia.  
He suceeded, catching her and collapsing to the ground.  
Hibiki served more as a coushin as he cought Dita and both collapsed.  
"Huh. That's no fun." Said Sally as she moved the foot of the Mercurious.  
"NOW!"  
Gundfire opened up and pinked along the surface of the Mobile suits.  
Both of the faceplates lowered as the Gundams backed, "Ha! What can you do!?"  
Either the Praxis was moving it, or it had been reacting on it's own, the first of the Wing Gundam punctured through the sheild over where it had been sitting.  
"What!?" Demanded both women as the Gundam burst from it's covering and slammed the fist into the Mercurious's helmet.  
Heero watched as his Gundam moved by itself. Then he turned and barked at Hibiki, "GET DITA OUT OF HERE!"  
Hibiki nodded and did the best he could to carry Dita out of the room.  
BC rushed forward and knelt beside Heero, "We'll take her. You get rid of them."  
Heero closed his mouth, nodded, and turned to run for the battle.  
The other women withdrew, since the possibility of the door being blasted open was high.  
The Gundam moved back and knelt as Heero hopped up the armor and into the cockpit.  
As the cockpit closed Heero grasped the controls and started directing the Gundam.  
The Chest and head cannons opened fire, spraying the suits down with surpressive fire.  
Then he pulled the beam saber and rushed forward-  
-only to have the Mercurious's beam counter him.  
"We're not that stupid." Said Mercurious as the beam crackled.  
The other shield had it's beam ignited and swung in to decapitate Heero.  
He dropped backwards and shot the Wing's feet out, kicking the red in the tosor and shoving it across the bay.  
He did the best he could to handspring around and land his Gundam to open fire with the head guns at the Vayate.  
Dorothy shielded herself as she backed for the Mercurious.  
Then the doors parted and blasted both suits out into space.  
Heero endured the vacuum to equip himself then hop into space after them.  
The Dreads were already outside and fighting the two with mixed results.  
"Is Barnette out here?"  
"Yes Heero."  
"Keep destracting them."  
Heero landed on the top of the platform and raised the beam rifle and toggled the sniper scope.  
His sights lined up with the Vayate as he scoped down to the cockpit...  
Only to watch the Vayate spot him and raise it's own cannon-  
Heero quickly hit the retros and soared over the beam as it sizzled the armor of the Nirvana.  
He tried to re-gain a lock but then dismissed it as he returned to a normal cockpit and rushed at the two.  
Red and blue both seperated and started their two-pronged attack.  
Heero rushed past the Mercurious, turned and fired.  
Defensor disks hovered into place and absorbed the fire from the machine guns.  
"Not that easy..."  
A particle shot came in and Heero rolled out of the way.  
"Damnit I need a Dread out here!"  
BC informed him, "Meia and Dita are still in the Sick bay. We're sending Jura out to help you."  
Heero rolled his eyes. Jura...  
Dread Jura approached...and then combined to form Vandread Jura.  
Well so it looked like he was spared...  
There was a momentary silence at the new Dread.  
"...What's that!?" Demanded Magano on the bridge.  
One of the bridge crew sighed and replied, "Ugh...it's a Crab."  
"Okay!" called Hibiki, "Let's kick some ass!"  
"Aww but my Dread is so-"  
"WILL YOU STOP WHINING AND GET TO WORK!"  
The Defensor disks of the Vandread hovered out into formation for a grid pattern around the Vandread.  
"Copycat!" Hissed Sally as Dorothy opened fire.  
The beam contacted the shield with no effect.  
"I saw that!" Replied Hibiki as he turned the Dread around to position the mirror. The ringing discs rotated around the ring as it mimiced the particle cannon and shot it back.  
"Wha-!?" Paniced Dorothy as she avoided the blast.  
"Hehe..." Laughed Hibiki in the cockpit, "I think I'm getting the hang of this!"  
Jura sniffed but realized that her Vandread wasn't all that bad...  
Heero cartwheeled and landed on the back of the Vandread.  
"Hey what-"  
"Just keep doing what you where doing." Said Heero as he reclined his machine again, "And keep moving. I doubt they'll make another mistake."  
The Vandread started moving for the Mercurious while Heero started taking sight on the Vayate with his Particle cannon.  
Dorothy, obviously seeing what Heero was doing, kept moving out of the way.  
"Damnit..."  
"If you want to fight me Heero then do it," She hissed, "Don't hide behind a screen. Where's your honor?"  
Heero winced, "It died the day you came after me."  
The particle shot fired and struck the side of the Vayate, blowing out a major section.  
"Ahh!" Yipped a Dread as it was being harrassed by the Mercurious.  
"Hey hold still!" Cursed Hibiki as he tried to poke the Mercurious.  
Heero grumbled and said, "I'm leaving this with you. Don't loose it."  
He attatched the Beam rifle to the side of Vandread Jura before hopping off and igniting his engines, also pulling the beam saber and chasing after the Mercurious.  
"There you are!" Laughed Sally.  
"Save it." Said Heero as he pulled two Beam sabers.  
Sally had two already deployed as she sliced at Heero, who had dodged and was rollng.  
He kicked the Mercurious in the head before rolling in space and stopping to fire his machine guns into the back of the Mercurious.  
The Planetary Defensors snapped up and surrounded the Mercurious, "Ha Ha Heero-"  
"Ha yourself!"  
The Particle cannon copy fired from Jura and hit the Mercurious.  
Heero took the opportunity and raced forward-  
And sliced the Mercurious in half.  
Sally screamed as her Gundam exploded around her.  
"Wha...Heero you murdered her!" Screamed Dorothy, "You Killer!!!"  
Vayate came in with a vengeance and opened fire.  
Heero weathered a blast then turned and as if on instinct, turned in space and jabbed the Beam saber into the enemy..  
The saber punctured the center of the cockpit.  
Dorothy was dead instantly as the Vayate exploded seconds later.  
Heero was wide-eyed.  
He had killed Dorothy and Sally.  
Two people who had been good friends until just recently.  
What had he become?  
  
----------------------------   
About halfway into the battle with the Mercurious and Vayate I just realized that this whole spiel replaces Episodes 5, 6, and 7 (Except longer) so then I realized that Jura never combined with Hibiki...sorry if that section seems abit rushed...  
  
Anyway, we've hit Nine chapters already! ON TO THE TENTH! 


	10. ch10: Duel of fates

Ch10  
Duel of Fates  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam belong to me. I wish they did, because then I could get action figures for FREE!  
  
-----------------   
  
After that incident Heero left the hanger deck immediately despite efforts by the crew to ask him what happened.  
"I just.....alone..." His response was and walked out.  
Now Heero was in one of the more remote parts of the Nirvana.  
With such a big ship there were parts abandoned by the crew, left dark or untreated by the feminine crew.  
And none of the three males explored up this far either.  
Heero had found solitude in one of the cargo-hold rooms much similar to Hibiki's quarters.   
He was slumped up against the wall, with a laptop on his lap with a flickering screen.  
A word document was open with a letter of apology.  
Heero had a faraway look in his eyes, trying to reason out what words he could say to any of his friends that could rectify this mistake.   
But there were no words.  
For the second time in his life he experienced...regret. He didn't feel this way ever since he accidentally killed that little girl and her dog.  
"How many times must I kill that little girl and her dog?"  
Those words from long ago rang like a bell. He had said them just after the Eve wars...just before plunging into the water near Brussels, during the Mariemea incident.  
"How many more lives must I take?" He said to himself, "Before all this is over..."  
He didn't count on this. This emotion.   
His intentions to enforce peace with his Gundam were not without flaws. This was one of them.  
Could he have handled taking on a Preventor or even one of his friends had they tried to stand in his way?  
Obviously not.  
At least, without killing them.  
Heero's thoughts were disturbed by a shadow walking into the darkened room.  
He looked up to see Meia standing there.  
The two looked at each other in minutes of prolonged silence.   
"Is there something the matter?" She spoke in a crisp voice as she sat next to him.  
"Yes..." he said, "I killed two of my friends today. I've never killed any of my friends before."  
"...I can understand what you're going through." Said Meia, "But you did it to protect someone. Heero, were they your friends?"  
"What...do you...mean?"  
Meia went on, "Magano taught me the value of friendship. I never accepted it...I just disregarded it as the ramblings of an old woman. But...now perhaps they are starting to make sense."  
Heero blinked and continued to look at her as she continued, "Heero...do friends try to kill one another?"  
"...I don't think so..." Said Heero as he looked back to another corner of the room, "At least...not in my experience."  
"In your view then," She said, "Anyone targeting you for destruction...are they enemies?"  
"Yes." Heero answered reflexively.  
"Then..." Meia said, "If someone you thought was your friend wanted to destroy you...would you consider that person a friend anymore?"  
"...no..." Heero answered, "I don't think so..."  
"Then," Meia said, "Do you still think of those people as the same ones your friends are?"  
"...No..." Said Heero and reasoned, "I guess...they aren't the same people I remember. Perhaps they aren't the same friends I made years ago..."  
Meia moved closer to him, "Maybe you should put this aside Heero..."  
She closed the laptop.  
"We still have to have that dinner together."  
Heero stood with her and then asked, "Meia...how did you know I was up here?"  
Meia smiled, "I have my sources."  
Heero was starting to wonder how she knew when he observed the surveillance camera in the corner of the room.  
"...Hn..."  
  
In the garden Heero took another spoonful of Rice into his mouth.  
Then he looked up and around.  
They had moved out of the galley and were now in the ship's gardens. Above them was only stars and the loneliness. They were by the river, and in sight of the entrance back to the ship. Above them somewhere was the bridge, which was located here of all places...  
Off nearby and in visible sight were Parfet and the Doctor on a picnic- on Parfeit's insistence.  
Heero smiled. Coupling...  
He seemed relaxed now...not tense as he was during the Eve wars.  
He had come a long way since then...  
...Especially in coming out here.  
Meia took her seat next to Heero on the grass, "Are you enjoying your lunch Heero?"  
"Yes...thank you..." He answered and spooned another load of rice into his mouth.  
Meia smiled, "It seems that Parfet has become quite affectionate with our doctor."  
"I know." Answered Heero as he took another bite of rice.  
"You arranged it?"  
"...sorta. I gave Parfet some counseling."  
"I envy you."  
Heero looked at Meia, who was playing with her spoon in her hand, "You come from a world so different from ours...and you can understand the strange things men and women can do together when they interact..."  
"...I think Dita would be more jealous."  
"You're right." Laughed Meia with Heero for a moment and then relaxed, "Heero...Can you...tell me...how men and women of your world react?"  
Heero put down his spoon, "Well... in the society I know...men and Women...well...they each have a partner."  
"Different partners?"  
"Each other." Said Heero as he explained the prospect of marriage, "These two, a man and a woman, can join together in holy matrimony and become husband and wife..."  
"What are you saying?" She asked, confused.  
"I'm saying that...well...a man and a woman, once joined by a ceremony...live together."  
"For how long?"  
"...For the rest of their lives mostly. And the two of them can mate and have children."  
"Is that possible?" She asked.   
"...That's the normal way I understand it." Said Heero.  
"So you mean," She asked, "They arrange to have their eggs fused?"  
Heero almost face vaulted, "Um...men don't have eggs."  
"Well then what do you have?"  
Heero looked around at the table to see no one...not even Paiway or her listening devices, were present.  
"We have...um...another type of reproductive...uh...cell...yeah, that joins with a woman's egg and fertilizes it so that it becomes a fetus and grows within the mother."  
"You mean like in Ezra's case?"  
"...Yes," Said Heero, remembering what the Doc had told her and what Ezra told him herself, "the result is...Ezra. She is pregnant with child. That's the normal way our society reproduces."  
"Must be a nuisance. Why do you do it?" She asked.  
Heero tried to avoid blushing but couldn't help it, "It's the...ritual that's performed. It's highly...um...enjoyable. But normally people do not...perform this...ritual...until they're much older."  
"How older?"  
"Well...at least when they can sustain the child's needs. Preferably when the man of the house has a job." Said Heero.  
"Ah..." She nodded, "But what about...man and man couples or woman and woman couples?"  
"Such things cannot happen." Said Heero, ". That is immoral and it's very rare when I come from. A child cannot be formed with parents of the same sex, People of the same sex are generally forbidden in modern-day society."  
"So you would never-"  
"No. I would rather die."  
"I see..." Said Meia and asked, "But what about...with me..."  
"Huh?"  
"Would you...join with me?" She asked.  
If Heero wasn't blushing he was now.  
"Would you undergo this ritual with me.?"  
Heero didn't have an immediate response. "Er...such a thing has to be considered and well with the time constraints and everything going on it would be unusual and...er..."  
A distant alarm sounded.  
"What's that?" Asked Meia.  
Heero stood and looked out at the stars.  
"What is it Heero?" Meia asked as she stood beside him.  
"...They're coming." He replied and looked at her, "They all decided to fight me now. There is no turning back from this battle."  
Meia closed her mouth from agape.  
He turned to her, "Listen, whatever happens...just promise me...."  
"...Promise you what?"  
Heero closed his eyes, and then opened them. In a romantic moment of loneliness, he kissed her.  
Under his lips she blushed like mad before responding to his touch, joining in on this unusual sensation.  
Then he parted, and she asked, "What was..."  
"It's a sign of affection." He replied and reached down to grasp her hand in his, "Promise me that we will both live through this together."  
"Heero..."  
"Promise me!" He replied in an authoritative, if desperate tone, "Else I cannot invision living on without you..."  
She blinked in astonishment, her blush deepening.  
"Yes Heero...I promise." She answered crisply.  
Heero nodded and then said, "We should get moving."  
They started off running, his hand around hers as he lead her through the ship.  
  
"I count five Gundam variants, and twelve Maganak Mobile Doll units," Informed an operator, "And one freighter with several unidentified."  
In front of the group, Heero asked, "Can you identify the Gundams?"  
The Operator worked the controls, "It's the four we fought before, plus a new one...."  
"Commander!" Called another Operator, "I am identifying several cube types around the Freighter!"  
"So they've consorted with the enemy have they?" Cackled Magano, "well, no matter."  
In Heero's cockpit the group became visible.  
In the distance and rapidly approaching was the Preventor's cruiser, with half it's missiles spent.  
" Hn... two mobile suits...A Leo and a Talgeese I model. Strange, Hn...I wonder who's in those suits..." Heero said aloud.  
"Does it matter?" Replied Meia beside him, "They're all targets. We should get them before they take us out."  
"Roger." Replied Heero.  
But still, He ran through a number of people in his mind. Zechs, Catherine, Noin, Silvia noventa...and Relena...  
Two of them were-  
But he was forgetting one unit.  
Like a bane to light, the figure at the center of the formation was a dark lavender, with glowing red eyes and a beam saber ignited at full, glowing green.  
This was the Gundam Epyon. Transformed and now dangerous as two gattling cannons sat on each shoulder, and missile packages were seen in the shield guarding the long heat whip.  
There were only two people that could pilot that suit, himself included.  
"That has to be Zechs."  
"Who?" Asked Jura.  
"The only person to use the Zero system besides me." Answered Heero, "He's Dangerous. Everyone, leave him for me-"  
The communications line opened, "Heero Yuy."  
"Zechs." Said Heero and raised the beam rifle, "Stay away. Return to whatever place you came from. You're not wanted or needed here."  
"That's too bad." Seethed the voice, "Because we have to make sure you're dead before we can give up and go home."  
Heero spoke again, "This is my Home now Zechs. If you so much as damage my home I will be forced to destroy you."  
"And what do you think you can do? You and your friends are no match for us. Why do you even try?"  
"Because I can." Said Heero, "And because Here I am not bound by the realities that I left behind."  
Heero's heart raced as he added, "and Because this is my new home...and nothing can separate me from the people or the place. No, I will die before I can let you harm them."  
"Suit yourself." Said the Epyon and halted, "This is your last chance Heero. Give up, or die."  
Heero had one response.  
"Go to hell."  
  
With these words the battle begun.  
The Dreads and Gundams exploded into lines of fury.  
The King of the Nirvana crew for the day was Heero, with complete upgrades on his Gundam.  
The long Beam sward was ignited, and unlike the previous Beam sabers had an actual blade to it- looking like a curved longsward.  
He sliced the first several Mobile dolls to approach before looking on to see Sandrock approach.  
Heero calmly ducked the blades and spun.  
The Wing edges ignited in beam saber blades and hacked off the legs of the Sandrock before he turned and parried the beam Naginata from Nataku.  
Coming up behind him was Deathsythe, but several Dreads swarmed in and made him think otherwise.  
Heero shoved off the Naginata and opened fire with the head guns, scoring hits along the neck and face before the Nataku shot out an arm.  
Heero turned the shield so that the head rammed full into it before slicing the head in half with the beam sward.  
Nataku ejected it's left Dragon fang and rushed at the Wing, Naginata spinning as it rushed in at Heero, "YOU KILLED SALLY!!!"  
Heero didn't reply as he retaliated with the blade, hacking down and dividing the Naginata in half. He spun and scarred the torso with his Wing edge, and then stabbed the blade into the torso just below the base of the neck.  
The Altron Gundam sparked with yellow electricity before jerking as Heero hacked off the limbs, and then the head.  
Wufei floated for a moment before saying on the Comm. "You've won Yuy. I must die."  
Wufei paused for a moment, moving in his cockpit, "Nataku, I will see you soon..."  
Then the Altron III shined and flashed all over it's body before exploding in self-destruction.  
"Wufei..." Grumbled Heero before turning back to the battle.  
He headed in and fired at the Gundam Sandrock as it tired to bisect Dita.  
The Sandrock whirled and more MDs rushed in.  
Heero removed them from existence with the beam blade before rushing in at Sandrock.  
However Deathsythe had other ideas as it slipped in and parried the blow.  
"Hello BUDDY!"  
Heero told Duo to shut up and kicked back.  
The Deathsythe tumbled and disappeared.  
Heero looked around and found Meia.  
"Meia, let's combine."  
"Right."  
The two raced at each other until Duo kicked Heero aside.  
"Nah-ah, we fight fair this time!" Said Duo.  
"You're never fair Duo." Answered Heero as he re-ignited the blade and came at the Deathsythe.  
Scythe blade clashed with Saber and Duo disengaged to punch the Wing in the face.  
Heero raised the saber and spun it, taking off the Deathsythe's hand before swinging the blade around again and stabbing it into the side of the Deathsythe.  
"AHH!!" Screamed the pilot as the Deathsythe drifted.  
Heero completed his spin and hacked the torso In half.  
Duo's machine drifted momentarily, several frgaments of it sparkling.  
Then Barnette's shots melted the head and part of the torso before she flew on by and fired at Trowa.  
"I...once called you friend Duo." Said Heero, "This friendship ends now..."  
Duo was quiet as he drifted, then said, "Yeah..."  
Heero fired his head guns.  
The Deathsythe tumbled under fire.  
"Well...I guess that's a rap." Said Duo's voice from the cockpit.  
Heero's cool eyes looked at the remains of the Deathsythe.  
"Well...it's been fun Heero." Said Duo and then said, "Take care friend..."  
The Deathsythe self-destructed.  
Heero was silent for a moment.  
"I called him friend..." He said.  
But the screams from the Dreads recalled his spirit into battle.  
He had to leave behind all ties from his past.  
Heero, Warrior, friend, and lover, returned to the battle.  
  
Heero screamed as he blew at maximum speed.  
Quarte turned and saw the Gundam.  
Heero rammed the beam blade into the center of the torso, hitting the gyroscope.  
The Sandrock kicked the Wing away and rushed in with Shortles swinging.  
Heero was back thrusting as he avoided the Sandrock's swings.  
"Haha...you won't survive!" Laughed Quarte, "Dorothy will be avenged!"  
"Listen to yourself, you're crazy!" Replied Heero, "Stop this insanity!"  
"Not until YOUR DEAD!!" Screamed Quarte as he came in at Heero and swung down, then across.  
Heero was lucky enough to dodge as he rolled around, and when he came back swung the saber horizontally.  
The ends of the heat Shortles came off, and then palsma fire from several Dreads struck the Gundam and singed off some of the armor.  
Heero rushed up and hacked, taking off the top of the torso and as he finished his spin the left arm.  
The Sandrock drifted before it too blossomed in a self-destruction pedal.  
"And all the Maganaks..." Said Heero, "Never came with Quarte."  
He turned to look at Trowa, but the Heavyarms was nowhere to be found.  
"So," Said the smooth voice, "Looks like you wanted a challenge. I'll give one."  
Heero saw the long tentacle lash out and he moved the shield to block it as it slammed into the re-enforced armor and left a dent.  
The shadow of the Gundam showed up, with glowing red eyes as it rushed in with the beam saber ignited.  
Heero angled the blade and cut across Epyon as it rushed past.  
Apparently it did no damage, as the Epyon rolled and fired missies out of the packages in the Shield.  
Heero opened fire, blowing them all up before they reached up.  
Zechs rolled and came around at him, saber drawn.  
Heero turned to face him as he fired with his gattling guns.  
Zechs came in at him but then turned as several Dreads rushed in on him.  
He dodged the fire of the Dreads as they scattered away and rolled to take new vectors.  
"Thanks." Said Heero as he turned back to the battle at hand.  
His blade clashed with the saber of the Epyon and then dodged as it tried to spear him.  
Heero spun and Zechs backthrusted to avoid getting slashed by the Wing Edge.  
Heero completed his turn and raced forward with the blade angled like a lance.  
Zechs batted it away with his own and shot out the Heat whip.  
Heero rolled and watched the black tentacle shoot over him and then back again as he finished rolling and brought up the dented shield to absorb the spray of bullets.  
Then the Thing rammed him and Heero rolled off Zechs and fired.  
The swift Epyon wasn't in that space for long as it jetted up, then blasted down with it's heel extended.  
Then some Dread rolled and expelled two missiles, each blowing up against the Epyon.  
Heero raced forward and slashed across the neck of the distracted Epyon.  
The wiring flailed for a moment before the head turned and the wires re-connected themselves.  
"Wha!?"  
The jaw of the Gundam dropped to expose mechanical teeth.  
Heero parried the horrible enemy as it struck with the blade, then swung the heat rod out.  
Heero ignored it as he swung in and kicked it.  
The enemy roared as it came back at him with gattling fire.  
Heero blocked it with a vibrating shield before discarding it and rushing in.  
He spun the blade round and round as he approached Zechs, who tried to stab him with his heat saber but was denied by Heero.  
Heero rammed the heel of his Gundam into the head of the enemy, sending it backwards.  
He heard warning tones and dodged out of the way of some fire as he found it to be the Talgesse I.  
He rotated and raced up towards it, delcaring, "Whoever's in the Talgeese is going to die."  
"Heero?"  
Heero's eyes exploded wide as he realized the voice, "....Relena?"  
Relena peacecraft's face, in full uniform, appeared.  
Heero was wide-eyed.  
"Heero....what have you done."  
Heero was starting to choke, "Rel-...but how!?"  
"I came with my brother. I was hoping you could surrender, but I assume even I have to fight in one of these weapons to promote peace."  
"Relena you....I..."  
"Heero?" Asked Meia as she took point beside her lover, as well as the remaining dreads...minus several that were recovering Jura.  
Meia's screen appeared, concern on her face.  
"Meia...Relena...I...I...."  
Heero's mind was going wild. His home...  
His home.  
It was taking point beside him.  
"Heero...I..." Meia was saying, "Don't...I don't...."  
"Meia...." Said Heero and looked at her tenderly.  
"Heero..." Said Relena, "Heero Surrender at once."  
"Over my dead body."  
"What?"  
Heero turned back to Relena, a death glare on his face, "I vowed to kill you, and I will fulfill that vow."  
"What?" Asked an appalled Relena.  
Heero raised his blade at her, "I see that my feelings didn't matter. They didn't matter at that party, and they never meant anything after the Eve wars. You abandoned me. You never searched, you never came, you never called. You threw me away."  
"Heero....I..." Then she turned business, "I won't tell you again, surrender and lower your weapon."  
Heero answered in so little words, "No Madam president."  
Relena gasped.  
This was the first time he had called her by title.  
Then one of the girls shrilled, "FIRE!"  
"No-NO!!!"  
Every shot counted as the assembled Dreads opened fire with their particle shots, hitting the Talgeese and shuddering it until it was no more than an assembly of ever-blossoming explosions.  
Heero sighed. She was gone.  
Enemies now on the target list were the ship, the one stationary Leo, several Cube-types-  
And Epyon.  
"You killed even her." Seethed Zechs, "How low."  
"So?" Asked Heero as he turned his Gundam down at Zechs, "And look what you've become."  
"These allies gave us more technology then we could comprehend...until I looked at it." Said Zechs, "And now I will rule."  
Missiles spiraled in and flew into the group.  
The Dreads scattered and returned fire.  
Zechs was ignoring them all and heading at Wing.  
Heero turned the flickering blue Beam sward and Shield to face the Epyon as it raced past and flicked out the midnight heat rod.  
Once again it slammed into the shield and left a sizeable dent.  
-But Zechs wasn't going for him.  
"Oh God...MEIA!"  
The Dread was running as Zechs was shooting at it and watched as it lopped off a wing-  
Untill it turned to see an enraged Heero approaching.  
Heero rammed the beast and fired point-blank into it's head, not caring if his shots did nothing.  
The Epyon shuddered before Heero kicked it away.  
The Epyon tumbled before recovering and kicking out more missiles.  
As Heero also shot those down Vandread Dita grasped a hold of Dread Meia.  
"Wha...Hibiki...?"  
"Let's get you back to the hanger."  
The Vandread carried the damaged Dread back to the hanger bay.  
  
Heero on the meanhand was engadging possibly the devil Gundam.  
The Epyon, swift and with upgrades, could take a severe beating but still survive, as it demonstrated with it's attacks.  
Heero did the best he could to block, but the damage was coming from Zech's laughter.  
"Are you always going to hide behind that shield or are you going to come out and fight?!"  
Heero gnashed his teeth but the comm. Beeped, "Heero!" Cried Parfet, "Get back to the hanger!"  
Heero, after a second said, "I'm in the middle of something-"  
"I don't care! Just get to the hanger as soon as possible!" She shrilled.  
Heero was gritting his teeth as Zech's laughter tore at him-  
-But then Gattling fire arced across space.  
Heero turned to see Gundam Heavyarms rushing in.  
"Trowa..."  
Zechs hissed, "What!?"  
The pannels of the Heavyarms opened and out poured clouds of Micro-missiles as they corkscrewed and slammed into the Epyon.  
"Trowa..."  
"Heero," Said Trowa, "Get back to your family. This battle is ours now...go to Meia."  
Heero nodded silently as he jetted back to the Nirvana.  
Zechs cawed, "This is treason! I'll enjoy tearing you apart!"  
"My life has no meaning anymore." Replied Trowa, "Those who I would have fought with are dead. And there is only one woman I will fight for...and no one else."  
"So be it." Hissed Zechs as he rushed forward.  
The heavyarms returned fire and then turned the gattling barrels up and parallel next to each other to act as a shield against the heat rod.  
  
As he glided in Hibiki was talking to him, "Okay, line up in the center."  
"Wh-" Heero was starting to say when he noticed Hibiki had de-combined from Dita, "But..."  
Then he, Dita, Jura, and Meia were ejected back into space with a smaller item.  
"Pyroro?"  
All thee Dreads unfolded and changed, some parts splitting off and others shifting around.  
Pyoro flew into the mix and was lost in a new robot.  
All five combined up to form what Hibiki could have in the same combination...  
...Only with this Gundam at the center, it became the largest Gundread ever to be seen...  
  
As Zechs came around he hissed, "Why do you even fight for his cause!? That boy is no more superior than you or I!"  
"Not in my belif." Said Trowa as he fought with his damaged Heavyarms, "Heero is the most powerful of us all. He has grown and expanded far more than any of us ever had. He is the one who has learned the most Zechs, and he has even mastered friends that we could never have. This is his home, and if this is where he wants to live, so be it."  
"What? Impossible!" Cried Zechs as he charged, "I AM SUPERIOR!!"  
The Heavyarms tried to block but lost three Gattling barrels and then an arm as the beam saber flashed out with fury.  
Not even Catherine in her Leo could do anything as she had to watch powerlessly.  
But then arrived a hero that could.  
Coming from out of the sun was a gargantuan battle fortress that was almost the size of the Nirvana.  
It rammed into the scene and swatted the Epyon out of the way.  
"What!? Impossible!"  
The huge armor had taken form as a shield. A long pillar stood for it's legs, while four wire-guided arms stood out on the sides. An armor cloak hovered about it's back and sides, and a smaller head stood at the center of it nestled around groups of heavy turrets.  
Defensor disks hovered around the assembly, as well as Jura's mirror.  
The Gundread leaned forward and launched two wire-guided arms.  
The Epyon was batted by one but sliced the cord of the other.  
That arm tumbled for a moment before it ignited it's thrusters and re-attached itself to the mothership.  
The arms lowered and Vandread Dita's particle cannons locked into place and fired.  
The Epyon ducked between the two blasts and closed on the Gundread, but a slam from the two higher arms on wires made it tumble again.  
Heero smirked inside the three-space cockpit at the heart of the Fortress Gundread.  
On his left was a smirking Jura, on his right was a caring Meia, and below him was a curious and furious Dita in the joined cockpit. Pyoro was guiding the wire-guided arms while the women controlled the weapons of the massive fortress in space that their Dreads had become. Heero was at the command and navigation.  
The battle fortress closed in on the out-powered Epyon and Jura and Meia's guns lowered down on the Gundam and fired.  
The Epyon snapped up an energy shield to deflect the blasts and sent a communication to Noin in the freighter.  
The Freighter turned and dumped the cargo boxes. They opened up to reveal missiles ready to fire.  
The Missiles launched, sending an unbelievable amount of missiles into space.  
The Fortress turned it's head, as well as the Gun clusters as they fired.  
Missiles exploded in a long line of blossoms as nothing remained.  
Heero turned his attention to the Freighter and orientated himself in that direction. Forming around him was the dread teams, and they provided cover fire from whatever Cubes decided to fight.  
But the massive shoulder cannons from Vandread Dita charged.  
The Freighter started to turn but it was too late, as massed fire covered it before the two main particle shots blew the freighter in half. Both ends tumbled for a while before being annihilated in the resounding reactor breach.  
"You...you will DIE!!!"  
"I've heard this all before somewhere." Said Heero as the Dreads formed up all around him, and behind him was the Nirvana....his home.  
"I live here now Zechs," Said Heero, "And you should have never come to find me."  
The shoulder cannons on the Superior Gundread glowed and flashed into two large columns of light.  
The smaller Epyon was consumed in the flashlight-like beam and incinerated.  
The beams remained on for a moment before slowly fading away, leaving the small armada in space.  
There was a moment of pause.  
"We did it!" Cheered Dita, "YAY!!!"  
Jura was also jubulious, as cheers rose up from the crew of the Nirvana.  
Heero looked up at Meia and the two exchanged smiles. His arm reached out to her leg, and she took his arm in both hands.  
"We did it..." She said.  
Heero, smiling, nodded.  
They were free...and at last without worry from Heero's homeland.  
  
-------------------   
Meh. Twelve page battle. Whatever.  
  
Now, let's see if I can re-arrange the Dreads and Gundam so they actually fit the description of the Super Gundread....*Meshes models together*  
  
Now, THE ENDING CHAPTER!!! 


	11. ch11: On the other side of the mountains

Ch11  
On the other side of the mountains...  
  
Disclaimer: Vandread nor Gundam belong to me. If they did it would be fun, because I'd have parodies of Gundam and Vandread....  
------------------   
  
"Well I suppose this is goodbye." Said Heero as he shook Trowa's hand.  
In the repaired...again...bay of the Nirvana, Sally and Trowa were standing before the ready Mobile suit Heavyarms. It still had an arm missing, but it was enough to get the Mobile suit through the formed portal back to Heero's home universe....or whatever universe the team to destroy Heero came through.  
"Yes..." Said Trowa, "And I don't suppose you're coming to visit."  
"No." Smiled Heero, "I don't think so." He looked up at Meia, who smiled back.  
"Well," Spoke Trowa, parting hands, "Take care of yourself Heero...and good luck."  
"Thanks." Said Heero, "You too, where you're heading back to."  
"Yes. It will be a nightmare explaining all this to the Earthsphere..." Said Trowa and saluted to Heero, "Farewell."  
With this, both Blooms entered the Heavyarms and walked to the door while everyone left to the observation deck.  
There, all the crew that could be spared left their posts and watched as the Heavyarms thrusted towards the spinning blue portal that remained a gateway to Heero's home.  
The heavyarms disappeared into it and the portal closed, no longer sustained by the Praxis reactor.  
"Well," Mumbled Magano, "Now that that's over, we still have some pirating business to attend to. Let's go BC."  
"Yes commander." Said BC, eager to get away from Bart's wandering eyes.  
Heero was the last to be in the room...well, third-to-last behind the Doctor and Parfet.  
The second person in the room was Meia.  
"It's over." Said Heero, "I'm...alone."  
"I don't think so." Smiled Meia, "Let's go. I'll get you some lunch."  
"...I like that..." Replied Heero and walked arm-in-arm with Meia.  
  
"Oh it's so CUTE!!" Cried Jura.  
Standing beside her was Barnette and looking up at the contraption, "Uh...Jura..."  
"I'm gonna paint it into pretty colors! And I'll fly it around every day!" Yipped Jura.  
They were looking at the blue Leo that Catherine had left behind.  
"Are you sure you can trust a man's machine Jura?"  
"It's so lovely!"  
  
In the medical room Parfet walked in.  
Paiway quickly hid her camera and asked, "Uh...can I help you?"  
"Is the Doc....um, Dureo in?"  
"Did someone call my name?" Asked Dureo as he walked in.  
"Oh hi..." Blushed Parfet, "I was wondering if you're off duty..."  
"Well since nobody In here is sick or injured...well, except Paiway, no."  
Paiway wanted to burst but she was ignored as Parfet spoke, "Uh...I was thinking about you and I going up to the observation deck...I was told we're going to be passing through a lovely nebulae and since I had nothing to do..."  
Dureo set down the lab report, "Okay."  
"Whoa! Really??" Asked an excited Parfet as she mimicked what the Earth video Heero had leant her and hugged a confused Dureo's arm.  
Paiway watched the couple leave with interest.  
"Weird...." She said and looked down at her camera, "Now only if my Camera was working!"  
Pyoro scratched it's head, "Hn...that camera's never worked ever since you tried in on Heero..."  
"Quiet you!"'  
  
"AH! You gotta hide me somewhere!"  
Hibiki was on the bridge.  
BC, Magano, and Ezra were looking at him.  
"Uh...where?"  
"I don't care- Ah! She's here!"  
Dita fluttered in like a butterfly and spotted Hibiki, "Oh there he is!"  
"AAHHHHHHHHH-"  
The scream cut off as Hibiki's face was nestled in between Dita's breasts and muted. "Oh you're so huggable!" She piped  
"Should we help him?" Asked BC as she and Magano watched the spectacle.  
"No." Said Magano, "It's for his own good."  
Hibiki somehow managed to escape and his feet formed a fury of boots as he rushed out of the room.  
-Into a closed door.  
Dita stood up and kissed her finger and formed it into a gun.  
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  
Hibiki ran as Dita fired the little heart.  
Magano and BC watched in silent amusement as Hibiki tried to flee from a flying, homing, and floating heart.  
Then Gasconge entered with Bart.  
Bart promptly saw Hibiki running around the bridge like a gazelle and gave him something else to look at besides BC.  
"Where have you been all this time?" Asked Magano after a moment, realizing that she was gone the entire episode of Heero's appearance.  
"Asleep. So, what did I miss?"  
  
Heero entered his quarters and closed the door.  
He haddn't seen Meia anywhere, which was odd, but she wasn't in her room either-  
"Heero?"  
Heero's head turned to look at Meia, who had his covers up to her neck. She was smiling.  
"Uh...may I ask what you are doing in my bed?"  
"I was wondering about that mating ritual you were telling me about." She said, "You know...the one that can produce children?"  
Heero's mind stopped for a moment.  
"............What about it?"  
"I was hoping you could give me a demonstration." She said innocently, "The bed was the most comfortable spot, unless you're supposed to do it somewhere else."  
Heero was very quiet.  
"...Did I say something wrong? I mean, it's not like we couldn't support a child...couldn't we?"  
Heero closed and locked the door to his room.  
  
-----------   
  
End of the re-write.  
  
Well, I hope it wasn't as bad as the original...I did modify some parts, others I didn't because I have a writers block :-D. I'm getting over it, so there may or may not be more Gundread...especially since I've already hit the second season.  
So...should I re-do everything or skip to the second season?  
Nah D I think I'll go see how Heero would react to Rabat's presence. 


End file.
